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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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¤%^~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~^%¤
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