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