&&¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨ &¨¨&&¨¨&&¨
&¨&&&¨¨¨¨¨ ¨&¨&¨&¨&¨&
¨&&¨¨&¨¨¨¨ ¨&&&&&&&&&
&&¨&¨&&¨¨¨ &&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
&¨&&&&¨&¨¨ ¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
&&&¨¨¨&&&¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨&¨&¨¨
&¨¨¨&&¨¨&& &¨¨¨¨&&&&¨
&&¨¨&¨&¨&¨ ¨&¨¨¨&¨¨¨&
¨¨&¨&&&&&& ¨&&¨¨&&¨¨&
&¨&&&¨¨¨¨¨ ¨&¨&¨&¨&¨&
¨&&¨¨&¨¨¨¨ ¨&&&&&&&&&