,,,,,,,,,,                                          ,#,,,#,,##
#,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,#,,,#,##
##,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,#,,,,#,
###,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,#,,,,,
#,##,,,,,,                                          #,,,,#,,,,
,,###,,,,, 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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