#$†;,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,;†$#
$†;,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,;†$
†;,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,;†
;,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,;
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,;†
$†;,¨¨¨¨¨¨ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ¨¨¨¨¨¨,;†$
#$†;,¨¨¨¨¨ AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ¨¨¨¨¨,;†$#
@#$†;,¨¨¨¨ DETOUR?" ¨¨¨¨,;†$#@
@@#$†;,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,;†$#@@
#@@#$†;,¨¨ ¨¨,;†$#@@#
##@@#$†;,¨ ¨,;†$#@@##
#@@#$†;,¨¨ ¨¨,;†$#@@#
@@#$†;,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,;†$#@@