..«=§£@@##                                          ##@@£§=«..
..«=§*£@@@                                          @@@£*§=«..
.....««=*£                                          £*=««.....
..«=§*£@@@                                          @@@£*§=«..
...««=*£@@                                          @@£*=««...
....««««§£ 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.       ££§§§=««..
..«=§*£@@#                                          #@@£*§=«..
.....«§*££                                          ££*§«.....
..«===§££@                                          @££§===«..
..«=§*£@##                                          ##@£*§=«..
..«=§*£@@@                                          @@@£*§=«..