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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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