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