&¨¨¨&&¨¨&¨ ¨&&¨&¨&¨&¨
&&¨¨&¨&¨&& &&¨&&&&&&&
¨¨&¨&&&&&¨ &¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨&&&¨¨¨¨& ¨&&¨&¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨&¨¨&¨¨¨& &&¨&&&¨¨¨¨
¨¨&&¨&&¨¨& 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?" ¨¨&&&&¨¨¨¨
&¨&¨¨&¨&&& ¨¨&¨¨¨&¨¨¨
&&&&¨&&&¨¨ &¨&&¨¨&&¨¨
&¨¨¨&&¨¨&¨ ¨&&¨&¨&¨&¨
&&¨¨&¨&¨&& &&¨&&&&&&&
¨¨&¨&&&&&¨ &¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨