.~-\†£££¤#                                          #¤£££†\-~.
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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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