@&&&&%^»^¨ ¨^»^%&&&&@
&&&%%»^^^¨ ¨^^^»%%&&&
###@&%^»^¨ ¨^»^%&@###
#&%^^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^^%&#
##@&&%^»^¨ ¨^»^%&&@##
@&&^^^^¨¨¨ 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. ¨^»^%&&@##
##@&&%^»^¨ ¨^»^%&&@##
&%»^^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^^»%&
##@&&%^»^¨ ¨^»^%&&@##
##@&&%^»^¨ ¨^»^%&&@##
&&&%»»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»»%&&&