@§£*/~-,,, ,,,-~/*£§@
§£*/~-,,,, ,,,,-~/*£§
£*/~-,,,,, ,,,,,-~/*£
*/~-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-~/*
/~-,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,-~/
~-,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,,,, @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ,,,,,,,,,,
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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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