#§¤**^~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~^**¤§#
#¤^-~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~-^¤#
###§¤*^-~¨ ¨~-^*¤§###
###§¤*^-~¨ ¨~-^*¤§###
###§¤*^-~¨ ¨~-^*¤§###
####§¤^-~¨ 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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