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