¨¨&¨&¨&&&& ¨&¨&&&¨&¨¨
¨¨&&&&&¨¨¨ &&&&¨¨&&&¨
¨¨&¨¨¨¨&¨¨ &¨¨¨&¨&¨¨&
&¨&&¨¨¨&&¨ ¨&¨¨&&&&¨&
¨&&¨&¨¨&¨& &&&¨&¨¨¨&&
&&¨&&&¨&&& 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?" ¨¨&&¨¨¨¨&¨
¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨&¨&¨¨¨&&
&¨¨&&¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨&&&&¨¨&¨
&&¨&¨&¨¨¨¨ &¨&¨¨¨&¨&&
¨¨&&&&&¨¨¨ &&&&¨¨&&&¨
¨¨&¨¨¨¨&¨¨ &¨¨¨&¨&¨¨&