¨¨¨~~~†$§¶                                          ¶§$†~~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~††$§                                          §$††~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~†*$§¶@#                                          #@¶§$*†~~¨
¨~~†*$§§§¶                                          ¶§§§$*†~~¨
¨~†*$§¶@##                                          ##@¶§$*†~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~**§ 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.       ¶§*†~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~***§¶                                          ¶§***~~¨¨¨
¨~~†*$§¶@#                                          #@¶§$*†~~¨
¨~~†*$§¶@@                                          @@¶§$*†~~¨
¨~~†*$§¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶§$*†~~¨
¨~~†*$§¶@@                                          @@¶§$*†~~¨