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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. ¨¨¨^^^£§@@
#§§^-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-^§§#
##@§£^^-^¨ 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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