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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. ¨¨:»»*£££&
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#@@&£*;»:¨ 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. ¨:»;*£&@@#
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@@£££*;»:¨ 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. ¨¨¨:;;**£&
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&£**»»¨¨¨¨ I CALL IT IN ON THE WALKIE-TALKIE. NOT ¨¨¨¨»»**£&
@@£;»¨¨¨¨¨ MANY OTHERS AWAKE, THEY KNOW NOTHING ¨¨¨¨¨»;£@@
@@@&£*;»:¨ ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS WELL. ¨:»;*£&@@@
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@@@&£*;»:¨ WHEN I FALL AWAKE IN THE AFTERNOON, ¨:»;*£&@@@
@&*;:¨¨¨¨¨ KARL IS THERE, SMILING AT ME. "HEY ¨¨¨¨¨:;*&@
@&**;;»::¨ BOY," HE SAYS, "WANNA HELP ME MAKE A ¨::»;;**&@
#@@&£*;»:¨ CALL?" ¨:»;*£&@@#
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&£*;»¨¨¨¨¨ 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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