#@$%»»¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨»»%$@#
@%».¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨.»%@
@%%%»»¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨»»%%%@
@@@@$%†».¨                                          ¨.»†%$@@@@
##@@$%†».¨                                          ¨.»†%$@@##
##@@$%†».¨ IN  THE  ENDLESS  WINTER   DAY,  ON  THE ¨.»†%$@@##
#@@$$%†».¨ CRYSTAL WHITE PLAINS... WE TRUDGE  ALONG ¨.»†%$$@@#
@$$%»¨¨¨¨¨   THE TRAIN TRACKS... THEMSELVES SLOWLY  ¨¨¨¨¨»%$$@
@@%»»¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨.»»%@
##@@$%†».¨ WILL  TAKE DAYS TO HEAL. THE  FINAL FIVE ¨.»†%$@@##
@$%%%%†».¨ YOU    MUST    NOT    SPEND    AT   ALL. ¨.»†%%%%$@
@@@@$%†».¨                                          ¨.»†%$@@@@
@@$$$%†».¨ WEEKS EARLIER, IN THE WEAK  AUTUMN DAWN, ¨.»†%$$$@@
##@@$%†».¨ IN  THE  BLUE-GRAY  FOG... SOMETHING  IS ¨.»†%$@@##
@$†††††».¨ BURNING  WITH  A   DEEP  CRIMSON  FLAME, ¨.»†††††$@
@@$†.¨¨¨¨¨       UNTAMEABLE BY WATER OR WIND.       ¨¨¨¨¨.†$@@
@@@$††»».¨                                          ¨.»»††$@@@
##@@$%†».¨                                          ¨.»†%$@@##
##@@$%†».¨                                          ¨.»†%$@@##
##@@$%†».¨                                          ¨.»†%$@@##
@@@@$%†».¨                                          ¨.»†%$@@@@