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