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