##@¶§§^«:, ,:«^§§¶@##
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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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