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#@=~~~.... ....~~~=@#
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@%=^^..... .....^^=%@
@@@@%=^~.. 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. .~^=%@¶###
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