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