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