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