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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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