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