£¤†*=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=*†¤£
¤†*=~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~=*†¤
†*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*†
*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*
†*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*†