¨,~/////@¤ ¤@/////~,¨
¨¨,~//%%¤¤ ¤¤%%//~,¨¨
¨,~/%%%%%¤ ¤%%%%%/~,¨
¨,~/%¤@### ###@¤%/~,¨
¨,~/%@¤@## ##@¤@%/~,¨
¨,~/%@¤@## 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. ##@¤@%/~,¨
¨,~/%@¤@## ##@¤@%/~,¨
¨,~/%@¤@@# #@@¤@%/~,¨
¨,~//%@¤¤¤ ¤¤¤@%//~,¨
¨¨¨~~/%¤@# #@¤%/~~¨¨¨
¨¨,~//@@@@ @@@@//~,¨¨