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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. ,^-/^££££§
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¶£^-^,,,,, 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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