:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-
:-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-:
§:-:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:-:§
%§:-:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:-:§%
&%§:-:¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨:-:§%&#@
#@#&%§:-:¨ ¨:-:§%&#@#
##@#&%§:-: :-:§%&#@##
#@#&%§:-:¨ ¨:-:§%&#@#
@#&%§:-:¨¨ ¨¨:-:§%&#@
#&%§:-:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:-:§%&#