¨¨^==§*£## ##£*§==^¨¨
¨¨¨^==§*£# #£*§==^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^==§*£ £*§==^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^==§* *§==^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^==§ §==^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^== 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?" ###£*§==^¨
¨¨^==§*£## ##£*§==^¨¨
¨¨¨^==§*£# #£*§==^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^==§*£ £*§==^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^==§* *§==^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^==§ §==^¨¨¨¨¨¨