##¶#&%^~~¨ ¨~~^%¶##
#&^~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~^
¶&^^~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~^^&¶
##¶#&%^~~¨ ¨~~^%¶##
¶¶#%^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^%#¶¶
#%~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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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