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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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