#@¶#$^*«,¨                                          ¨,«*^$#¶@#
#@¶#$^*«,¨                                          ¨,«*^$#¶@#
#@¶#$^*«,¨                                          ¨,«*^$#¶@#
¶¶$**,,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,,**$¶¶
#$*****«,¨                                          ¨,«*****$#
##@#$^*«,¨ IN  THE  ENDLESS  WINTER   DAY,  ON  THE ¨,«*^$#@##
#@¶#$^*«,¨ CRYSTAL WHITE  PLAINS... WE TRUDGE ALONG ¨,«*^$#¶@#
@@¶#$^*«,¨   THE TRAIN TRACKS... THEMSELVES SLOWLY  ¨,«*^$#¶@@
#^««««¨¨¨¨ SNOWED  OVER, IN THE  STILL HOURS  SINCE ¨¨¨¨««««^#
#@¶#$^*«,¨          THE LAST SUPPLY TRAIN.          ¨,«*^$#¶@#
¶$$^«,,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,,«^$$¶
#@¶#$^*«,¨     BELL-LIKE SOUNDS OF THE BLINDING     ¨,«*^$#¶@#
#$^^^**«,¨ GROUND.  RIFLES ATTACHED TO  OUR  WRIST, ¨,«**^^^$#
#$*««¨¨¨¨¨ SHARING  IN  OUR BLOODSTREAM.  MY HUSKY, ¨¨¨¨¨««*$#
#$$^«,¨¨¨¨      MY WARM-COFFEE-IN-COLD-SNOW...      ¨¨¨¨,«^$$#
#@¶#$^*«,¨                                          ¨,«*^$#¶@#
#$$^^^*«,¨ THE  FIRST  FIVE  SHOTS  YOU  CAN  SPEND ¨,«*^^^$$#
@#$^*,¨¨¨¨ INDISCRIMINATELY, THEY  HURT BUT DEAL NO ¨¨¨¨,*^$#@
##¶#$^*«,¨ LONG  TIME  DAMAGE TO  THE  SHOOTER. THE ¨,«*^$#¶##
@¶##$^*«,¨ NEXT  FIVE  YOU MUST SPEND WISELY,  THEY ¨,«*^$##¶@
@¶¶#$^*«,¨ WILL TAKE DAYS TO HEAL. THE  FINAL  FIVE ¨,«*^$#¶¶@
@###$^*«,¨ YOU    MUST    NOT    SPEND   AT    ALL. ¨,«*^$###@
#@¶#$^*«,¨                                          ¨,«*^$#¶@#
¶¶##$^*«,¨ WEEKS EARLIER, IN THE  WEAK AUTUMN DAWN, ¨,«*^$##¶¶
¶$$^^*,,¨¨ IN  THE  BLUE-GRAY  FOG... SOMETHING  IS ¨¨,,*^^$$¶
#@¶#$^*«,¨ BURNING   WITH  A  DEEP  CRIMSON  FLAME, ¨,«*^$#¶@#
¶¶$***«,¨¨       UNTAMEABLE BY WATER OR WIND.       ¨¨,«***$¶¶
#@¶#$^*«,¨                                          ¨,«*^$#¶@#
@¶¶#$^*«,¨                                          ¨,«*^$#¶¶@
#$^^«,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,«^^$#
@@¶#$^*«,¨                                          ¨,«*^$#¶@@
###^*««¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨««*^###