¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~
†~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨-~†%%@###
##@%%†~-¨¨ ¨¨-~†%%@##
#@%%†~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~†%%@#
@%%†~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~†%%@
%%†~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~†%%
%†~-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-~†%