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