§¤$\~^,,,, ,,,,^~\$¤§
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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?" ,,,^~\$¤§@
#@§¤$\~^,, ,,^~\$¤§@#
##@§¤$\~^, ,^~\$¤§@##
#@§¤$\~^,, ,,^~\$¤§@#
@§¤$\~^,,, ,,,^~\$¤§@
§¤$\~^,,,, ,,,,^~\$¤§