¨¨::::::¤§ §¤::::::¨¨
¨:~:==¤§§# #§§¤==:~:¨
¨:~~~:::=§ §=:::~~~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=§ §=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~:¤§§ §§¤:~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~==§# 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?" ##¶§¤=:~:¨
¨:~:=¤§¶## ##¶§¤=:~:¨
¨:~:=¤§¶## ##¶§¤=:~:¨
¨::::::==§ §==::::::¨
¨:~:=¤§¶## ##¶§¤=:~:¨
¨¨¨¨::=¤¶¶ ¶¶¤=::¨¨¨¨