¤¨¤¤¨¤¤¤¨¨ ¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨
¤¤¤¨¤¤¨¨¤¨ ¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¨¨¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¤ ¤¨¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¤¨¤¤¤¤¨ ¨¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¨¤ ¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¤¨¨¤¨¨¤ 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?" ¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤
¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¤¤¤ ¨¨¤¨¨¨¤¨¨¨
¤¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¨¨ ¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨
¤¨¤¤¨¤¤¤¨¨ ¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨
¤¤¤¨¤¤¨¨¤¨ ¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¨¨¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¤ ¤¨¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨