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&¤//,¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨,~/*¤&£##
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##£&¤*/~,¨ 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. ¨,~/*¤&£##
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##£&¤*/~,¨ 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 ¨,~/*¤&£##
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££¤*///~,¨ 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. ¨,~/*¤&£##
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&¤*//~,¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨,,~~**¤£
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