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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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