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