¨^«\^$$$@@ @@$$$^\«^¨
¨¨¨^«^^^@@ @@^^^«^¨¨¨
¨^«\^$$$$@ @$$$$^\«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^\^@ @^\^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«\^$@@## ##@@$^\«^¨
¨^«\^$@¶@@ 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?" ¶@$$\\^^¨¨
¨^«\^$@¶## ##¶@$^\«^¨
¨^«\^$@@@@ AFTER HE'S BROUGHT ME COFFEE, I DIAL @@@@$^\«^¨
¨¨^^«\\^$@ THE FREQUENCY FROM HIS NOTEBOOK, AND @$^\\«^^¨¨
¨^«\^$@¶@# AFTER A WHILE THERE'S A REPLY IN #@¶@$^\«^¨
¨^«\^$@@@@ PAN-SLAVIC. KARL LAUGHS AND MAKES A @@@@$^\«^¨
¨^«\^$@¶@# REPLY IN THE SAME LANGUAGE. EVEN THOUGH #@¶@$^\«^¨
¨^«\^^^$@¶ WE BOTH HAVE HEADPHONES I CAN'T FOLLOW ¶@$^^^\«^¨
¨^«\^$@¶@# AT ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A #@¶@$^\«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨«^$¶ FEW TIMES. ¶$^«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«\^$@¶@# #@¶@$^\«^¨
¨^«\^$@¶@# I'M ALMOST SNOOZING AGAIN AT THE TIME #@¶@$^\«^¨
¨¨¨¨^«^^$@ KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS @$^^«^¨¨¨¨
¨^«\^$@@¶¶ ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ¶¶@@$^\«^¨
¨^«\^$@@¶¶ SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ¶¶@@$^\«^¨
¨^«\^$¶@## AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ##@¶$^\«^¨
¨^«\^$@¶@# DETOUR?" #@¶@$^\«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^«^@ @^«^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«\^$@¶## ##¶@$^\«^¨
¨^«\^$@¶## ##¶@$^\«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨«\^@@ @@^\«¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«\^$@¶@# #@¶@$^\«^¨