#&%†^.....                                          .....^†%&#
#&%††^....                                          ....^††%&#
#&%††--^^.                                          .^^--††%&#
##&%%-^...                                          ...^-%%&##
&&&%†††-^.                                          .^-†††%&&&
#&%%%%†-^. IN  THE  ENDLESS  WINTER  DAY,  ON   THE .^-†%%%%&#
###&%%†-^. CRYSTAL WHITE PLAINS... WE  TRUDGE ALONG .^-†%%&###
###&%%†-^.  THE TRAIN TRACKS... THEMSELVES SLOWLY   .^-†%%&###
#%%--..... SNOWED OVER,  IN THE  STILL HOURS  SINCE .....--%%#
###&%%†-^.          THE LAST SUPPLY TRAIN.          .^-†%%&###
##&%†-....                                          ....-†%&##
&%††--^^..     BELL-LIKE SOUNDS OF THE BLINDING     ..^^--††%&
###&%%†-^. GROUND.  RIFLES  ATTACHED  TO OUR WRIST, .^-†%%&###
###&%%†-^. SHARING  IN  OUR  BLOODSTREAM. MY HUSKY, .^-†%%&###
###&%%†-^.      MY WARM-COFFEE-IN-COLD-SNOW...      .^-†%%&###
#&&&%%†-^.                                          .^-†%%&&&#
###&%%†-^. THE  FIRST  FIVE  SHOTS  YOU  CAN  SPEND .^-†%%&###
###&%%†-^. INDISCRIMINATELY, THEY HURT BUT DEAL  NO .^-†%%&###
###&%%†-^. LONG  TIME DAMAGE  TO  THE  SHOOTER. THE .^-†%%&###
###&%%†-^. NEXT FIVE YOU MUST  SPEND  WISELY,  THEY .^-†%%&###
&%††^..... WILL TAKE DAYS TO HEAL.  THE FINAL  FIVE .....^††%&
&&%%†-^... YOU    MUST    NOT    SPEND    AT   ALL. ...^-†%%&&
###&%%†-^.                                          .^-†%%&###
##&&%%†-^. WEEKS EARLIER, IN THE WEAK AUTUMN  DAWN, .^-†%%&&##
###&%%†-^. IN  THE  BLUE-GRAY  FOG...  SOMETHING IS .^-†%%&###
#&&%-..... BURNING   WITH  A  DEEP  CRIMSON  FLAME, .....-%&&#
&%%††††-^.       UNTAMEABLE BY WATER OR WIND.       .^-††††%%&
#%††††^^..                                          ..^^††††%#
&%†-^.....                                          .....^-†%&
&%%%††--^.                                          .^--††%%%&
##%%%%†-^.                                          .^-†%%%%##
&%%†-.....                                          .....-†%%&