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