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