##@§%^\~:¨ ¨:~\^%§@##
##@§%^\~:¨ ¨:~\^%§@##
§%^~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~^%§
§%\::¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨::\%§
§§§§%^\~:¨ ¨:~\^%§§§§
§^\:¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨:~\^%§@##
##@§%^\~:¨ ¨:~\^%§@##
@%\\~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~\\%@
##@§%^\~:¨ ¨:~\^%§@##
##@§%^\~:¨ ¨:~\^%§@##
##@§%^\~:¨ ¨:~\^%§@##