###&:»:,,, ,,,:»:&###
##&:»:,,,, ,,,,:»:&##
#&:»:,,,,, ,,,,,:»:&#
&:»:,,,,,, ,,,,,,:»:&
:»:,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,:»:
&:»:,,,,,, 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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