##@§&%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%&§@##
@&%~~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~~%&@
##@§&%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%&§@##
##@§&%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%&§@##
#@&&%††~:¨                                          ¨:~††%&&@#
##@§&%†~:¨ 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.       ¨:~†††&&@@
§%~:::¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:::~%§
##@§&%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%&§@##
##@§&%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%&§@##
##@§&%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%&§@##
@&&††:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:††&&@