§§¨¨¨¨§§¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§§
§¨¨§§¨¨¨¨§ §§§§§¨¨§§§
¨¨¨¨¨¨§§¨¨ §§§§¨¨¨¨§§
¨§§§§¨¨¨¨¨ §§§¨¨§§¨¨¨
¨¨§§¨¨§§§§ §§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§ 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?" §§§§§¨¨¨¨§
§§¨¨§§¨¨§§ §§§§¨¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§ §§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
§§§§§§§§¨¨ §§¨¨§§§§§§
§§§§§§§¨¨¨ §¨¨¨¨§§§§§
§§§§§§¨¨§§ ¨¨§§¨¨§§§§