,,,,»††††¤ ¤††††»,,,,
,^»;†£¤#@# #@#¤£†;»^,
,^»;†£¤### ###¤£†;»^,
,^^^^»;£¤# #¤£;»^^^^,
,^»;†£¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤£†;»^,
,,,,»†£££¤ 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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