¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~;
$;~-¨¨¨¨¨¨ AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ¨¨¨¨¨¨-~;$
$$;~-¨¨¨¨¨ DETOUR?" ¨¨¨¨¨-~;$$
#$$;~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~;$$#
@#$$;~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~;$$#@
@@#$$;~-¨¨ ¨¨-~;$$#@@
#@@#$$;~-¨ ¨-~;$$#@@#
@@#$$;~-¨¨ ¨¨-~;$$#@@