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&*~~^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^~~*&
##¶&@*†~^¨                                          ¨^~†*@&¶##
¶@*~^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^~*@¶
##¶&@*†~^¨                                          ¨^~†*@&¶##
¶&&*††~¨¨¨ 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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