&&¨¨&&¨¨¨& ¨¨&&&¨&¨&¨
¨&¨&¨&¨¨&& ¨&¨&&¨&¨&¨
&&¨&¨&¨&¨& ¨&¨¨&¨&¨&¨
¨&¨&¨&¨&¨& ¨&¨&&¨&¨&¨
&&¨&¨&¨&¨& ¨&¨¨&¨&¨&¨
¨&¨&¨&¨&¨& 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. ¨&¨¨&¨&¨&¨
¨&¨&¨&¨&¨& ¨&¨&&¨&¨&¨
&&¨&¨&¨&¨& ¨&¨¨&¨&¨&¨
¨&¨&¨&¨&¨& ¨&¨&&¨&¨&¨
&&¨&¨&¨&¨& ¨&¨¨&¨&¨&¨
¨&¨&¨&¨&¨& ¨&¨&&¨&¨&¨