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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 ,,,,,,,:-*
$*-:,,,,,, MISSILE, AND APPEARING SILENTLY IN THE ,,,,,,:-*$
§$*-:,,,,, MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AT THAT? NOT ,,,,,:-*$§
¤§$*-:,,,, ENTIRELY... COMFORTABLE. ,,,,:-*$§¤
@¤§$*-:,,, ,,,:-*$§¤@
@@¤§$*-:,, I CALL IT IN ON THE WALKIE-TALKIE. NOT ,,:-*$§¤@@
#@@¤§$*-:, MANY OTHERS AWAKE, THEY KNOW NOTHING ,:-*$§¤@@#
@@¤§$*-:,, ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS WELL. ,,:-*$§¤@@
@¤§$*-:,,, ,,,:-*$§¤@
¤§$*-:,,,, @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ,,,,:-*$§¤
§$*-:,,,,, ,,,,,:-*$§
$*-:,,,,,, WHEN I FALL AWAKE IN THE AFTERNOON, ,,,,,,:-*$
*-:,,,,,,, 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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