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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. ,,,,,,,,~»
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$$»~,,,,,, @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ,,,,,,~»$$
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@£$$»~,,,, WE WERE GOING SOUTH THROUGH FINLAND AT ,,,,~»$$£@
@@£$$»~,,, THE TIME, SLEEPING CLOSE TO THE ,,,~»$$£@@
#@@£$$»~,, FURNACE, WATCHING THE AURORA BOREALIS. ,,~»$$£@@#
##@@£$$»~, TWENTY-SOMETHING MEMBERS OF THE CREW, ,~»$$£@@##
#@@£$$»~,, MOST OF WHICH WERE MECHANICS, OR ,,~»$$£@@#
@@£$$»~,,, LOADERS, WITH LARGE AND HAIRY HANDS ,,,~»$$£@@
@£$$»~,,,, THAT COULD SWALLOW MY ENTIRE BODY. AND ,,,,~»$$£@
£$$»~,,,,, ME FEATURING AS THE CUTE AND ASOCIAL ,,,,,~»$$£
$$»~,,,,,, RADIO OPERATOR, STATIONED IN THE BACK ,,,,,,~»$$
$»~,,,,,,, OF THE KILOMETER-LONG TRAIN, WHICH ,,,,,,,~»$
»~,,,,,,,, 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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@£$$»~,,,, @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ,,,,~»$$£@
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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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