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