.&.&&...&. ..&...&...
&&&.&..&&. .&&..&&...
..&&&.&.&& &.&.&.&..&
.&..&&&&.& &&&&&&&.&&
&&.&...&&& ......&&.&
.&&&..&..& 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?" .....&&...
...&..&.&. ....&.&...
..&&.&&&&. ...&&&&...
.&.&&...&. ..&...&...
&&&.&..&&. .&&..&&...
..&&&.&.&& &.&.&.&..&