&%---.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.---%&
##@#§%=-.¨ ¨.-=%§#@##
##§=-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-=§##
###&§%=-.¨ ¨.-=%§&###
@##&§%=-.¨ ¨.-=%§&##@
#@#&§%=-.¨ 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. ¨.-=%§&#@@
###&§%=-.¨ ¨.-=%§&###
@&&§§%=-.¨ ¨.-=%§§&&@
#&§%%==-.¨ ¨.-==%%§&#
#@#&§%=-.¨ ¨.-=%§&#@#
#§%=.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.=%§#