¨:«;$£¤@@# #@@¤£$;«:¨
¨:«;$£¤@## ##@¤£$;«:¨
¨:«««;$$£@ @£$$;«««:¨
¨:«;$£¤@## ##@¤£$;«:¨
¨::««;££@# #@££;««::¨
¨:«;$£¤¤@@ orange-clad train-climber crew, moving @@¤¤£$;«:¨
¨:«;$£¤@## along the rusty cargo cars like some ##@¤£$;«:¨
¨:«;$£¤@## species of ferrophage insect. up and ##@¤£$;«:¨
¨:«;$£¤@## down the train, checking bolts, oiling ##@¤£$;«:¨
¨:«;$£@### joints, drinking coffee, smoking ###@£$;«:¨
¨:«;$£¤@## cigarettes. ##@¤£$;«:¨
¨:«;$£¤@@@ @@@¤£$;«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨«$¤¤# @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ #¤¤$«¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨«$$$£@ @£$$$«¨¨¨¨
¨:«;$£¤@## we were going south through finland at ##@¤£$;«:¨
¨:«;$£¤@## the time, sleeping close to the ##@¤£$;«:¨
¨:«;$£¤@## furnace, watching the aurora borealis. ##@¤£$;«:¨
¨:«;$£¤@## twenty-something members of the crew, ##@¤£$;«:¨
¨:«;$£¤### most of which were mechanics, or ###¤£$;«:¨
¨:«;;;££@@ 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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