@##$*:«^,, ,,^«:*$##@
#@##$*:«^, ,^«:*$##@#
@##$*:«^,, ,,^«:*$##@
##$*:«^,,, ,,,^«:*$##
#$*:«^,,,, ,,,,^«:*$#
$*:«^,,,,, ORANGE-CLAD TRAIN-CLIMBER CREW, MOVING ,,,,,^«:*$
*:«^,,,,,, 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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