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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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,,«*%%£¶## 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.         #££%«,,,,,
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,,«*%%¶### 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.                ##¶£%%*«,,
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,,«*%%£¶## 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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