¨¨¨:»††§§¤ ¤§§††»:¨¨¨
¨:»†§*¤### ###¤*§†»:¨
¨:»»†††*¤# #¤*†††»»:¨
¨:»†§*¤### ###¤*§†»:¨
¨¨¨¨::»§*¤ ¤*§»::¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨::†**¤ 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?" ###¤*§†»:¨
¨:»†§*¤### ###¤*§†»:¨
¨:»†§*¤### ###¤*§†»:¨
¨¨¨»††§§¤# #¤§§††»¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:»†*## ##*†»:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:»†*¤¤# #¤¤*†»:¨¨¨