#£^;=:,,,, ,,,,:=;^£#
£^;=:,,,,, ,,,,,:=;^£
^;=:,,,,,, ,,,,,,:=;^
;=:,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,:=;
=:,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,:=
;=:,,,,,,, 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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