¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¨¨¤¨¤¤¤¤
¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¤
¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨ 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?" ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤