¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¨¤¤
¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¨
¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¨ ¨¨¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¤
¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¨¨ ¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¤
¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¨
¤¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¨ ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨ SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤
¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¨ DOWN THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS, OILING ¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨
¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¨¨ JOINTS, DRINKING COFFEE, SMOKING ¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¤ CIGARETTES. ¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤
¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¨¨ ¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¤ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤
¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¨¨ ¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨ WE WERE GOING SOUTH THROUGH FINLAND AT ¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤
¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤ THE TIME, SLEEPING CLOSE TO THE ¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤ FURNACE, WATCHING THE AURORA BOREALIS. ¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤
¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤ TWENTY-SOMETHING MEMBERS OF THE CREW, ¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¨
¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨ MOST OF WHICH WERE MECHANICS, OR ¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨
¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨ LOADERS, WITH LARGE AND HAIRY HANDS ¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¤
¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤ THAT COULD SWALLOW MY ENTIRE BODY. AND ¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¨¨
¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¤ ME FEATURING AS THE CUTE AND ASOCIAL ¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¨
¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨ RADIO OPERATOR, STATIONED IN THE BACK ¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤
¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤ OF THE KILOMETER-LONG TRAIN, WHICH ¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤
¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¨ SERVED ME GOOD AND WELL. ¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨
¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¤
¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¨ AND THEN ONE NIGHT, THERE'S A MISSILE. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¨¨ WE WOULD ROUTINELY PICK UP NEW CARS AT ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨ THE TAIL, AND DROP SOME OFF, AS A WAY ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤ OF EARNING SOME EXTRA MONEY. BUT A ¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¨ MISSILE, AND APPEARING SILENTLY IN THE ¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨ MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AT THAT? NOT ¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ENTIRELY... COMFORTABLE. ¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤
¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¨
¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ I CALL IT IN ON THE WALKIE-TALKIE. NOT ¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨
¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ MANY OTHERS AWAKE, THEY KNOW NOTHING ¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¤
¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤ ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS WELL. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨
¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤ ¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¤
¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¨ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨
¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ WHEN I FALL AWAKE IN THE AFTERNOON, ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ KARL IS THERE, SMILING AT ME. "HEY ¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤ BOY," HE SAYS, "WANNA HELP ME MAKE A ¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤ CALL?" ¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¨ ¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨
¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¨¨ AFTER HE'S BROUGHT ME COFFEE, I DIAL ¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¤
¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¤ THE FREQUENCY FROM HIS NOTEBOOK, AND ¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¨¨ AFTER A WHILE THERE'S A REPLY IN ¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¨¨¨ PAN-SLAVIC. KARL LAUGHS AND MAKES A ¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨
¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¨¤¤ REPLY IN THE SAME LANGUAGE. EVEN THOUGH ¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¤
¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¨ WE BOTH HAVE HEADPHONES I CAN'T FOLLOW ¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨
¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¤¤ AT ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A ¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¨ FEW TIMES. ¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤
¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¤ ¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ I'M ALMOST SNOOZING AGAIN AT THE TIME ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ DETOUR?" ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤