¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 $%*-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-*% AFTER A WHILE THERE'S A REPLY IN %*-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-* PAN-SLAVIC. KARL LAUGHS AND MAKES A *-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~- REPLY IN THE SAME LANGUAGE. EVEN THOUGH -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ WE BOTH HAVE HEADPHONES I CAN'T FOLLOW ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AT ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ FEW TIMES. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ I'M ALMOST SNOOZING AGAIN AT THE TIME ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DETOUR?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~- -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-* *-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-*% %*-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-*%$ $%*-~¨¨¨¨¨