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