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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. ,,,,,,,,,~
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,~«*
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#¤£$*«~,,, WHEN I FALL AWAKE IN THE AFTERNOON, ,,,~«*$£¤#
##¤£$*«~,, KARL IS THERE, SMILING AT ME. "HEY ,,~«*$£¤##
###¤£$*«~, BOY," HE SAYS, "WANNA HELP ME MAKE A ,~«*$£¤###
##¤£$*«~,, CALL?" ,,~«*$£¤##
#¤£$*«~,,, ,,,~«*$£¤#
¤£$*«~,,,, AFTER HE'S BROUGHT ME COFFEE, I DIAL ,,,,~«*$£¤
£$*«~,,,,, THE FREQUENCY FROM HIS NOTEBOOK, AND ,,,,,~«*$£
$*«~,,,,,, AFTER A WHILE THERE'S A REPLY IN ,,,,,,~«*$
*«~,,,,,,, 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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