@@@@*†^-^¨                                          ¨^-^†*@@@@
@@*^^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^^*@@
#@@@*†^-^¨                                          ¨^-^†*@@@#
@**^--¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨--^**@
#@@@*†^-^¨                                          ¨^-^†*@@@#
@****†^-^¨ 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.       ¨^-^†*@@@@
@@@**†^-^¨                                          ¨^-^†**@@@
@@*^-^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^-^*@@
@@@@*†^-^¨                                          ¨^-^†*@@@@
@@@@*†^-^¨                                          ¨^-^†*@@@@
@@@@*†^-^¨                                          ¨^-^†*@@@@