¤¤$*/,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,/*$¤¤
@¤*--¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨--*¤@
#@@¤$*/-,¨ ¨,-/*$¤@@#
#@@¤$*/-,¨ ¨,-/*$¤@@#
@@@¤$*/-,¨ ¨,-/*$¤@@@
#@@¤$*/-,¨ IN THE ENDLESS WINTER DAY, ON THE ¨,-/*$¤@@#
@@@¤$*/-,¨ CRYSTAL WHITE PLAINS... WE TRUDGE ALONG ¨,-/*$¤@@@
#@@¤$*/-,¨ THE TRAIN TRACKS... THEMSELVES SLOWLY ¨,-/*$¤@@#
#@@¤$*/-,¨ SNOWED OVER, IN THE STILL HOURS SINCE ¨,-/*$¤@@#
#@@¤$*/-,¨ THE LAST SUPPLY TRAIN. ¨,-/*$¤@@#
#@@¤$*/-,¨ ¨,-/*$¤@@#
#@@¤$*/-,¨ BELL-LIKE SOUNDS OF THE BLINDING ¨,-/*$¤@@#
¤$$/---,¨¨ GROUND. RIFLES ATTACHED TO OUR WRIST, ¨¨,---/$$¤
@@$*-¨¨¨¨¨ SHARING IN OUR BLOODSTREAM. MY HUSKY, ¨¨¨¨¨-*$@@
##@@$*/-,¨ MY WARM-COFFEE-IN-COLD-SNOW... ¨,-/*$@@##
@$$/-,,,,¨ ¨,,,,-/$$@
##@@$*/-,¨ THE FIRST FIVE SHOTS YOU CAN SPEND ¨,-/*$@@##
#@@¤$*/-,¨ INDISCRIMINATELY, THEY HURT BUT DEAL NO ¨,-/*$¤@@#
¤$$$**/-,¨ LONG TIME DAMAGE TO THE SHOOTER. THE ¨,-/**$$$¤
@@@¤$*/-,¨ NEXT FIVE YOU MUST SPEND WISELY, THEY ¨,-/*$¤@@@
#@@¤$*/-,¨ WILL TAKE DAYS TO HEAL. THE FINAL FIVE ¨,-/*$¤@@#
@¤¤**-,,¨¨ YOU MUST NOT SPEND AT ALL. ¨¨,,-**¤¤@
##@@$*/-,¨ ¨,-/*$@@##
@$*-,¨¨¨¨¨ WEEKS EARLIER, IN THE WEAK AUTUMN DAWN, ¨¨¨¨¨,-*$@
@$*-,¨¨¨¨¨ IN THE BLUE-GRAY FOG... SOMETHING IS ¨¨¨¨¨,-*$@
#@@¤$*/-,¨ BURNING WITH A DEEP CRIMSON FLAME, ¨,-/*$¤@@#
@@$//-,¨¨¨ UNTAMEABLE BY WATER OR WIND. ¨¨¨,-//$@@
¤$$*-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-*$$¤
¤*-,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-*¤
@$*--,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,--*$@
#@@¤$*/-,¨ ¨,-/*$¤@@#
¤$*///,,¨¨ ¨¨,,///*$¤