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