&†»»»»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»»»»†&
@@@†»»~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~»»†@@@
&&@;~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~;@&&
#@@&@†;»~¨ ¨~»;†@&@@#
@&††»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»††&@
&††»~~~¨¨¨ 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. ¨~»;†@&@@#
@&†»¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨»†&@
##@@&†;»~¨ ¨~»;†&@@##
@&@;~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~;@&@
#@@&@†;»~¨ ¨~»;†@&@@#
@@@&@†;»~¨ ¨~»;†@&@@@