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