#*^/=.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.=/^*#
##*^/=.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.=/^*##
###*^/=.¨¨ ¨¨.=/^*###
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###*^/=.¨¨ ¨¨.=/^*###
##*^/=.¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨.=/^*###
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###*^/=.¨¨ ¨¨.=/^*###
##*^/=.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.=/^*##
#*^/=.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.=/^*#
*^/=.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.=/^*