#@%*\\\~,¨ ¨,~\\\*%@#
@@%%*~~~,¨ ¨,~~~*%%@@
##@§%*\~,¨ ¨,~\*%§@##
@@%*~,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,~*%@@
@@%*\~,,,¨ ¨,,,~\*%@@
###@§*\~,¨ 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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