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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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£$†~,,,,,, WHEN I FALL AWAKE IN THE AFTERNOON, ,,,,,,~†$£
$†~,,,,,,, KARL IS THERE, SMILING AT ME. "HEY ,,,,,,,~†$
£$†~,,,,,, BOY," HE SAYS, "WANNA HELP ME MAKE A ,,,,,,~†$£
@£$†~,,,,, CALL?" ,,,,,~†$£@
#@£$†~,,,, ,,,,~†$£@#
##@£$†~,,, AFTER HE'S BROUGHT ME COFFEE, I DIAL ,,,~†$£@##
###@£$†~,, THE FREQUENCY FROM HIS NOTEBOOK, AND ,,~†$£@###
##@£$†~,,, AFTER A WHILE THERE'S A REPLY IN ,,,~†$£@##
#@£$†~,,,, PAN-SLAVIC. KARL LAUGHS AND MAKES A ,,,,~†$£@#
@£$†~,,,,, REPLY IN THE SAME LANGUAGE. EVEN THOUGH ,,,,,~†$£@
£$†~,,,,,, WE BOTH HAVE HEADPHONES I CAN'T FOLLOW ,,,,,,~†$£
$†~,,,,,,, AT ALL, BUT I HEAR THE WORD "MISSILE" A ,,,,,,,~†$
£$†~,,,,,, FEW TIMES. ,,,,,,~†$£
@£$†~,,,,, ,,,,,~†$£@
#@£$†~,,,, I'M ALMOST SNOOZING AGAIN AT THE TIME ,,,,~†$£@#
##@£$†~,,, KARL PUTS DOWN THE HEADPHONES AND SLAPS ,,,~†$£@##
###@£$†~,, ME ON MY BACK. "ALLRIGHT BOY. I JUST ,,~†$£@###
##@£$†~,,, SOLD A MISSILE." HE PRACTICALLY BEAMS ,,,~†$£@##
#@£$†~,,,, AT ME, TEETH FILED SHARP. "WANNA MAKE A ,,,,~†$£@#
@£$†~,,,,, DETOUR?" ,,,,,~†$£@
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