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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. ,,,,,,.~;¤
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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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#&¤;~.,,,, ,,,,.~;¤&#