,:~†^%¤###                                          ###¤%^†~:,
,:~†^%¤###                                          ###¤%^†~:,
,:~†^^%¤¤#                                          #¤¤%^^†~:,
,:~†^%¤###                                          ###¤%^†~:,
,:~†^%¤###                                          ###¤%^†~:,
,:~†^%¤### 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.       #¤%^^~~::,
,:~†^%¤###                                          ###¤%^†~:,
,:~†^%¤###                                          ###¤%^†~:,
,,,~†††^¤¤                                          ¤¤^†††~,,,
,:~†^%%%%¤                                          ¤%%%%^†~:,
,:~†^%¤###                                          ###¤%^†~:,