¨¨¨¤¨¨¤¤¤¨ ¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¤¨
¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¤¨¨ ¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¨¤ ¤¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¨
¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¨¨ ¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¤¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¨¨
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ 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?" ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¨ ¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤ ¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¨
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¨ ¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¨¨
¨¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¤ ¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¨
¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¤ ¤¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¤