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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. ¨~»^^^^£@@
@£^^^~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~^^^£@
@£££^^^»~¨ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ¨~»^^^£££@
#@@@£^^»~¨ ¨~»^^£@@@#
#@@@£^^»~¨ 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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