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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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