¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,- -,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-^ ^-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-^$ $^-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-^$§ §$^-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-^$§¶ ¶§$^-,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,-^$§¶@ 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?" ##@¶§$^-,¨
¨¨,-^$§¶@# #@¶§$^-,¨¨
¨¨¨,-^$§¶@ @¶§$^-,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-^$§¶ ¶§$^-,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-^$§ §$^-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-^$ $^-,¨¨¨¨¨¨