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