«-,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,-«
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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?" ,,,,,,,-«*
†*«-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-«*†
¤†*«-,,,,, ,,,,,-«*†¤
§¤†*«-,,,, ,,,,-«*†¤§
@§¤†*«-,,, ,,,-«*†¤§@
#@§¤†*«-,, ,,-«*†¤§@#