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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. ,,,~:%££##
###££%:~,, ,,~:%££###
##££%:~,,, 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. ,,,,,,,~:%
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££%:~,,,,, 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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