@@#§$%=~~¨ ¨~~=%$§#@@
@#§§$%=~~¨ ¨~~=%$§§#@
#$%%%=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=%%%$#
#$=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=$#
#§%%%=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=%%%§#
§§§%%~¨¨¨¨ 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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