¨¨¨¨^^=¤## ##¤=^^¨¨¨¨
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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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