##¶#%$*»^¨ ¨^»*$%#¶##
#%$»»^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^»»$%#
¶#$»¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨»$#¶
##%*»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»*%##
##¶#%$*»^¨ ¨^»*$%#¶##
###$*^¨¨¨¨ IN THE ENDLESS WINTER DAY, ON THE ¨¨¨¨^*$###
##¶#%$*»^¨ CRYSTAL WHITE PLAINS... WE TRUDGE ALONG ¨^»*$%#¶##
#$»»»»»¨¨¨ THE TRAIN TRACKS... THEMSELVES SLOWLY ¨¨¨»»»»»$#
##¶#%$*»^¨ SNOWED OVER, IN THE STILL HOURS SINCE ¨^»*$%#¶##
###¶#%*»^¨ 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... ¨^»**$$#¶¶
####%$*»^¨ ¨^»*$%####
¶###%$*»^¨ THE FIRST FIVE SHOTS YOU CAN SPEND ¨^»*$%###¶
####%$*»^¨ INDISCRIMINATELY, THEY HURT BUT DEAL NO ¨^»*$%####
#$*^¨¨¨¨¨¨ LONG TIME DAMAGE TO THE SHOOTER. THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨^*$#
##$**»»^¨¨ NEXT FIVE YOU MUST SPEND WISELY, THEY ¨¨^»»**$##
##¶#%$*»^¨ WILL TAKE DAYS TO HEAL. THE FINAL FIVE ¨^»*$%#¶##
##$»^¨¨¨¨¨ YOU MUST NOT SPEND AT ALL. ¨¨¨¨¨^»$##
#%$$*»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»*$$%#
##%%%$*»^¨ WEEKS EARLIER, IN THE WEAK AUTUMN DAWN, ¨^»*$%%%##
###$*»^¨¨¨ IN THE BLUE-GRAY FOG... SOMETHING IS ¨¨¨^»*$###
##%**»»^¨¨ BURNING WITH A DEEP CRIMSON FLAME, ¨¨^»»**%##
##¶#%$*»^¨ UNTAMEABLE BY WATER OR WIND. ¨^»*$%#¶##
##¶#%$*»^¨ ¨^»*$%#¶##
##¶#%$*»^¨ ¨^»*$%#¶##
#%$$»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»$$%#
####%$*»^¨ ¨^»*$%####
##%$»»^^¨¨ ¨¨^^»»$%##