¨,-*§&£¶## ##¶£&§*-,¨
¨¨,-*§&£¶# #¶£&§*-,¨¨
¨¨¨,-*§&£¶ ¶£&§*-,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-*§&£ £&§*-,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-*§& &§*-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-*§ 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?" §*-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-* *-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,- -,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨