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