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