§*:»,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,»:*§
#§*:»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»:*§#
##§*:»,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,»:*§##
###§*:»,¨¨ ¨¨,»:*§###
####§*:»,¨ ¨,»:*§####
###§*:»,¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»
:»,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,»: