¨¨¨¨¨¨^»^* *^»^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^»^ ^»^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^» »^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨