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