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