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