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,,-/^%¤£## ##£¤%^/-,,
,,-/^%¤£## ##£¤%^/-,,
,,,,,-^^%¤ 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?" ###£¤%^-,,
,,,,,,,-^¤ ¤^-,,,,,,,
,,-/^%¤£## ##£¤%^/-,,
,,,,,,/^^¤ ¤^^/,,,,,,
,,-/^%¤£## ##£¤%^/-,,
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