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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.         £££&%†;~^.
....^~†††&                                          &†††~^....
.^~;†%&£## 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 #&&%;;;~^.
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