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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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£§§^~,,,,, 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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