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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. ¨:~^%%¤@##
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#@¤%%%^~:¨ 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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