,,,,,:«;^$ $^;«:,,,,,
,,,,,,:«;^ ^;«:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:«; ;«:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:« «:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:«; ;«:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:«;^ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ^;«:,,,,,,
,,,,,:«;^$ 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 $^;«:,,,,,
,,,,,,:«;^ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ^;«:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:«; AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ;«:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:« DETOUR?" «:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:«; ;«:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:«;^ ^;«:,,,,,,
,,,,,:«;^$ $^;«:,,,,,
,,,,:«;^$¶ ¶$^;«:,,,,
,,,:«;^$¶# #¶$^;«:,,,