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