###¶%†\«,¨ ¨,«\†%¶###
##¶%†\«,¨¨ ¨¨,«\†%¶##
#¶%†\«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«\†%¶#
¶%†\«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«\†%¶
%†\«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«\†%
†\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,