##£@§%^»^¨ ¨^»^%§@£##
#£@§%^»^¨¨ ¨¨^»^%§@£#
£@§%^»^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^»^%§@£
@§%^»^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^»^%§@
§%^»^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^»^%§
%^»^¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨^»^%§@£#
##£@§%^»^¨ ¨^»^%§@£##
#£@§%^»^¨¨ ¨¨^»^%§@£#
£@§%^»^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^»^%§@£
@§%^»^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^»^%§@
§%^»^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^»^%§