##&£%*»^¨¨ ¨¨^»*%£&##
#&£%*»^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^»*%£&#
&£%*»^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^»*%£&
#&£%*»^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^»*%£&#
##&£%*»^¨¨ ¨¨^»*%£&##
###&£%*»^¨ 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?" ¨^»*%£&###
##&£%*»^¨¨ ¨¨^»*%£&##
#&£%*»^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^»*%£&#
&£%*»^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^»*%£&
#&£%*»^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^»*%£&#
##&£%*»^¨¨ ¨¨^»*%£&##