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