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