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