#@#@&*=»~¨ ¨~»=*&@#@#
##@@&*=»~¨ ¨~»=*&@@##
@@#@&*=»~¨ ¨~»=*&@#@@
#&&=~~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~~=&&#
@*»»¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨»»*@
#&&*==~¨¨¨ 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. ¨~»=**&&@@
@&====»¨¨¨ ¨¨¨»====&@
#@#@&*=»~¨ ¨~»=*&@#@#
#&**=»~~~¨ ¨~~~»=**&#
@@*=»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»=*@@
#@#@&*=»~¨ ¨~»=*&@#@#