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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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