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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 ......~-^§
$§^-~..... THE TAIL, AND DROP SOME OFF, AS A WAY .....~-^§$
§$§^-~.... OF EARNING SOME EXTRA MONEY. BUT A ....~-^§$§
¶§$§^-~... MISSILE, AND APPEARING SILENTLY IN THE ...~-^§$§¶
#¶§$§^-~.. MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AT THAT? NOT ..~-^§$§¶#
##¶§$§^-~. ENTIRELY... COMFORTABLE. .~-^§$§¶##
#¶§$§^-~.. ..~-^§$§¶#
¶§$§^-~... I CALL IT IN ON THE WALKIE-TALKIE. NOT ...~-^§$§¶
§$§^-~.... MANY OTHERS AWAKE, THEY KNOW NOTHING ....~-^§$§
$§^-~..... ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS WELL. .....~-^§$
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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?" ........~-
^-~....... .......~-^
§^-~...... 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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