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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?" ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨ §¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨ ¨§¨¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨ ¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨ §¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨¨§§§ ¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨