#*~~~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~~~*#
£§§§:~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~:§§§£
#*::::¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨::::*#
££§::~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~::§££
#£§§:~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~:§§£#
#£§::¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨:~:*§#£££
###£#§*~:¨ ¨:~*§#£###
£#***:~~:¨ ¨:~~:***#£
#*~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~*#
####§*:~:¨ ¨:~:*§####
##£#§*:~:¨ ¨:~:*§#£##