¶%%*=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=*%%¶
##¶@%*:=~¨ ¨~=:*%@¶##
@*:=¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨=:*@
#@@*:===~¨ ¨~===:*@@#
@%%*:==~¨¨ ¨¨~==:*%%@
@@@%:=¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨~:::*@
##¶@%*:=~¨ ¨~=:*%@¶##
#¶%%%*:=~¨ ¨~=:*%%%¶#
¶¶%%:~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~:%%¶¶
¶@%%%*:=~¨ ¨~=:*%%%@¶
##¶@%*:=~¨ ¨~=:*%@¶##