#%\»»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»»\%#
#%\\»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»\\%#
##¶#%%\»,¨ ¨,»\%%#¶##
##¶#%%\»,¨ ¨,»\%%#¶##
#¶¶#%%\»,¨ ¨,»\%%#¶¶#
#%%\,¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨,,»\\\\%#
##¶#%%\»,¨ ¨,»\%%#¶##
#%%%%»»¨¨¨ ¨¨¨»»%%%%#
###%»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»%###
##¶#%%\»,¨ ¨,»\%%#¶##
¶###%%\»,¨ ¨,»\%%###¶