@@@%;;;~,, ,,~;;;%@@@
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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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