¨~~:†£¤@@# #@@¤£†:~~¨
¨¨¨~~:::†¤ ¤†:::~~¨¨¨
¨~~:††††¤@ @¤††††:~~¨
¨~~:†£¤@@@ @@@¤£†:~~¨
¨~~:†£¤@@# #@@¤£†:~~¨
¨~~:†£¤@@# 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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