¨¨,,^^§§§§ §§§§^^,,¨¨
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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?" ###§@§^»,¨
¨,»^^§@@§# #§@@§^^»,¨
¨,»^@§#### ####§@^»,¨
¨,»^§@§### ###§@§^»,¨
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