&&¨&&¨&&&¨ ¨¨&&¨&¨¨¨¨
&¨&&¨&&¨¨& &¨&¨&&&¨¨¨
&&&¨&&¨&¨& &&&&&¨¨&¨¨
&¨¨&&¨&&&& &¨¨¨¨&¨&&¨
&&¨&¨&&¨¨¨ &&¨¨¨&&&¨&
¨¨&&&&¨&¨¨ 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?" ¨¨&¨&&¨¨&&
¨&¨¨&¨¨&&& ¨¨&&&¨&¨&¨
¨&&¨&&¨&¨¨ ¨¨&¨¨&&&&&
&&¨&&¨&&&¨ ¨¨&&¨&¨¨¨¨
&¨&&¨&&¨¨& &¨&¨&&&¨¨¨
&&&¨&&¨&¨& &&&&&¨¨&¨¨