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