¨¨¨¨~-†^%¤ ¤%^†-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-†^% %^†-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-†^ ^†-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-† †-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~- -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ 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?" %^†-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-†^%¤ ¤%^†-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~-†^%¤# #¤%^†-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-†^%¤## ##¤%^†-~¨¨
¨~-†^%¤### ###¤%^†-~¨
¨¨~-†^%¤## ##¤%^†-~¨¨