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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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:
$:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ MISSILE, AND APPEARING SILENTLY IN THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:$
£$:~.¨¨¨¨¨ MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AT THAT? NOT ¨¨¨¨¨.~:$£
&£$:~.¨¨¨¨ ENTIRELY... COMFORTABLE. ¨¨¨¨.~:$£&
@&£$:~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~:$£&@
#@&£$:~.¨¨ I CALL IT IN ON THE WALKIE-TALKIE. NOT ¨¨.~:$£&@#
##@&£$:~.¨ MANY OTHERS AWAKE, THEY KNOW NOTHING ¨.~:$£&@##
#@&£$:~.¨¨ ABOUT IT, AND APPEAR CONCERNED AS WELL. ¨¨.~:$£&@#
@&£$:~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~:$£&@
&£$:~.¨¨¨¨ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ ¨¨¨¨.~:$£&
£$:~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~:$£
$:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ WHEN I FALL AWAKE IN THE AFTERNOON, ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:$
:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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?" ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~