¨.~†*§£¶@# #@¶£§*†~.¨
¨¨¨¨.~*££@ @££*~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.†§£ £§†.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~†*§£¶@# #@¶£§*†~.¨
¨.~†*§£¶@# #@¶£§*†~.¨
¨.~†*§£££¶ 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?" #@¶£§*†~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨..†*£ £*†..¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~†*§£¶@# #@¶£§*†~.¨
¨.~†*§£¶¶@ @¶¶£§*†~.¨
¨¨¨.††*§§£ £§§*††.¨¨¨
¨.~†*§£¶@# #@¶£§*†~.¨