@@***§:-,¨ ¨,-:§***@@
#@@@*§:-,¨ ¨,-:§*@@@#
@@@@*§:-,¨ ¨,-:§*@@@@
#@@@*§:-,¨ ¨,-:§*@@@#
@*:::-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-:::*@
@@§--¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨,-:§*@@##
@@@@*§:-,¨ ¨,-:§*@@@@
#@@@*§:-,¨ ¨,-:§*@@@#
@@*::-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-::*@@
#@@@*§:-,¨ ¨,-:§*@@@#
@@@@*§:-,¨ ¨,-:§*@@@@