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