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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?"                  ####@£†-,¨
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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 ###@£†:-,¨
¨,-:†£@###                 DETOUR?"                 ###@£†:-,¨
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