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