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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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,,,,,^~^*& &*^~^,,,,,
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