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