£=;~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~;=£
@£=;~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~;=£@
@@£=;~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~;=£@@
#@@£=;~,¨¨ ¨¨,~;=£@@#
##@@£=;~,¨ ¨,~;=£@@##
#@@£=;~,¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~;=
£=;~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~;=£
@£=;~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~;=£@
@@£=;~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~;=£@@
#@@£=;~,¨¨ ¨¨,~;=£@@#
##@@£=;~,¨ ¨,~;=£@@##