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