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