@@#&%§*»~¨ ¨~»*§%@@
&§§§»»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»»§§§&
#@#&%§*»~¨ ¨~»*§%@#
##@&%§*»~¨ ¨~»*§%&@##
###&%§*»~¨ ¨~»*§%##
@#&%**~~~¨ 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. ¨~»*§%@#
#@#&%§*»~¨ ¨~»*§%@#
###&%§*»~¨ ¨~»*§%##
@&&%%§*»~¨ ¨~»*§%%&&@
&§§»»~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~»»§§&
#@#&%§*»~¨ ¨~»*§%@#