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