¨¨¨¨¨¨,-:§ §:-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
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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. §:-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-:§§ §§:-,¨¨¨¨¨
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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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