#@@^^*^^¨¨ ¨¨^^*^^@@#
#@#@$^*-^¨ ¨^-*^$@#@#
#@#@$^*-^¨ ¨^-*^$@#@#
@@#@$^*-^¨ ¨^-*^$@#@@
@@$$$^*-^¨ ¨^-*^$$$@@
##@#@$*-^¨ IN THE ENDLESS WINTER DAY, ON THE ¨^-*$@#@##
#@#@$^*-^¨ CRYSTAL WHITE PLAINS... WE TRUDGE ALONG ¨^-*^$@#@#
@#@$**-¨¨¨ THE TRAIN TRACKS... THEMSELVES SLOWLY ¨¨¨-**$@#@
@^-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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, ¨¨¨¨--^@##
##@#@$^*^¨ IN THE BLUE-GRAY FOG... SOMETHING IS ¨^*^$@#@##
##@@$^*-^¨ BURNING WITH A DEEP CRIMSON FLAME, ¨^-*^$@@##
@##@$^*-^¨ UNTAMEABLE BY WATER OR WIND. ¨^-*^$@##@
##@#@^*-^¨ ¨^-*^@#@##
##@@$^*-^¨ ¨^-*^$@@##
##@@$^*-^¨ ¨^-*^$@@##
##@#@$^*-¨ ¨-*^$@#@##
#@#@$^*-^¨ ¨^-*^$@#@#