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