-~........ ........~-
~......... .........~
-~........ ........~-
\-~....... .......~-\
$\-~...... ......~-\$
%$\-~..... 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?" ...~-\$%§#
§%$\-~.... ....~-\$%§
%$\-~..... .....~-\$%
$\-~...... ......~-\$
\-~....... .......~-\
-~........ ........~-