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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. ,,,~«:^£§#
§£^:«~,,,, ,,,,~«:^£§
£^:«~,,,,, 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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