,,,,,,.«/$ $/«.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.«/ /«.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.« «.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,. .,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.« «.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.«/ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING /«.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,.«/$ 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?" ##@¶§$/«.,
,,.«/$§¶@# #@¶§$/«.,,
,,,.«/$§¶@ @¶§$/«.,,,
,,,,.«/$§¶ ¶§$/«.,,,,
,,,,,.«/$§ §$/«.,,,,,
,,,,,,.«/$ $/«.,,,,,,