¤¤$$$$:«,¨ ¨,«:$$$$¤¤
#¶%$::««,¨ ¨,««::$%¶#
##¶¤%$:«,¨ ¨,«:$%¤¶##
#¤¤$:««¨¨¨ ¨¨¨««:$¤¤#
##¶¤%$:«,¨ ¨,«:$%¤¶##
¶¶¤%:«,,¨¨ ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ¨¨,,«:%¤¶¶
##¶¤%$:«,¨ ALONG THE RUSTY CARGO CARS LIKE SOME ¨,«:$%¤¶##
##¶¤%$:«,¨ SPECIES OF FERROPHAGE INSECT. UP AND ¨,«:$%¤¶##
#¤¤¤%$:«,¨ DOWN THE TRAIN, CHECKING BOLTS, OILING ¨,«:$%¤¤¤#
##¶¤%$:«,¨ JOINTS, DRINKING COFFEE, SMOKING ¨,«:$%¤¶##
¤¤$::,¨¨¨¨ CIGARETTES. ¨¨¨¨,::$¤¤
¤¤%$:«««,¨ ¨,«««:$%¤¤
##¶¤%$:«,¨ ¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶ ¨,«:$%¤¶##
¤¤%:«¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨«:%¤¤
¶¤$«,¨¨¨¨¨ WE WERE GOING SOUTH THROUGH FINLAND AT ¨¨¨¨¨,«$¤¶
##¶¤%$:«,¨ THE TIME, SLEEPING CLOSE TO THE ¨,«:$%¤¶##
###¶¤%:«,¨ FURNACE, WATCHING THE AURORA BOREALIS. ¨,«:%¤¶###
¤$$«««,,,¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨«:$$¤¶
##¶¤%$:«,¨ KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ¨,«:$%¤¶##
¤$:::«««,¨ ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ¨,«««:::$¤
¶¶%:««,¨¨¨ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ¨¨¨,««:%¶¶
##¶¤%$:«,¨ AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ¨,«:$%¤¶##
##¶¤%$:«,¨ DETOUR?" ¨,«:$%¤¶##
¶¤¤%%$:«,¨ ¨,«:$%%¤¤¶
#¶¶¤%$:«,¨ ¨,«:$%¤¶¶#
##¶¤%$:«,¨ ¨,«:$%¤¶##
¶%%$$:,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,:$$%%¶
¶¶%%$$:«,¨ ¨,«:$$%%¶¶