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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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&&&%%»,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,»%%&&&
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