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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. ,,,,,~^@£¶
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##¶£@^~,,, ¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶ ,,,~^@£¶##
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##¶£@^~,,, 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. ,,,~^@£¶##
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@^~,,,,,,, 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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