.:-\^¤§£## ##£§¤^\-:.
..:-\^¤§£# #£§¤^\-:..
...:-\^¤§£ £§¤^\-:...
....:-\^¤§ §¤^\-:....
.....:-\^¤ ¤^\-:.....
....:-\^¤§ 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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