¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~^ ^~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
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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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