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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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