=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†
%†=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†%
@%†=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=†%@
#@%†=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=†%@#
@#@%†=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=†%@#@
#@#@%†=,¨¨ ¨¨,=†%@#@#