,:=†*¤#££# #££#¤*†=:,
,,,,,::=*# #*=::,,,,,
,:=†*¤#£## ##£#¤*†=:,
,:=†*¤#££# #££#¤*†=:,
,,,,,=*¤#£ £#¤*=,,,,,
,,,,,:†¤¤# 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. ##£#¤*†=:,
,,,,=*¤¤## ##¤¤*=,,,,
,:=†*¤#£## ##£#¤*†=:,
,:=†*¤£### ###£¤*†=:,
,:=†*¤#£## ##£#¤*†=:,
,,,=††††*# #*††††=,,,