##§~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~§##
##@#$§†~,¨                                          ¨,~†§$#@##
##@#$§†~,¨                                          ¨,~†§$#@##
#@@#$§†~,¨                                          ¨,~†§$#@@#
#@#§§††~,¨                                          ¨,~††§§#@#
##@#$§†~,¨ in  the  endless  winter   day,  on  the ¨,~†§$#@##
#$$§~~¨¨¨¨ crystal white  plains... we trudge along ¨¨¨¨~~§$$#
##@#$§†~,¨   the train tracks... themselves slowly  ¨,~†§$#@##
#§~~,¨¨¨¨¨ snowed  over,  in  the still hours since ¨¨¨¨¨,~~§#
##@#$§†~,¨          the last supply train.          ¨,~†§$#@##
@$††††~~,¨                                          ¨,~~††††$@
##@#$§†~,¨     bell-like sounds of the blinding     ¨,~†§$#@##
##@#$§†~,¨ ground.  rifles  attached to our  wrist, ¨,~†§$#@##
###@#$†~,¨ sharing  in  our  bloodstream. my husky, ¨,~†$#@###
@@##$§†~,¨      my warm-coffee-in-cold-snow...      ¨,~†§$##@@
##@#$§†~,¨                                          ¨,~†§$#@##
#@@#$§†~,¨ the  first  five  shots  you  can  spend ¨,~†§$#@@#
##@#$§†~,¨ indiscriminately, they hurt but  deal no ¨,~†§$#@##
##@#$§†~,¨ long time damage  to  the  shooter.  the ¨,~†§$#@##
###@#$§†~, next  five you must spend  wisely,  they ,~†§$#@###
###$†††~,¨ will take  days to heal.  the final five ¨,~†††$###
@$$$$§†~,¨ you    must    not    spend   at    all. ¨,~†§$$$$@
@#§††††~,¨                                          ¨,~††††§#@
@$§~,¨¨¨¨¨ weeks earlier, in the  weak autumn dawn, ¨¨¨¨¨,~§$@
##@#$§†~,¨ in  the blue-gray  fog...  something  is ¨,~†§$#@##
##@#$§†~,¨ burning   with  a  deep  crimson  flame, ¨,~†§$#@##
##@#$§†~,¨       untameable by water or wind.       ¨,~†§$#@##
@##$†,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,†$##@
##@#$§†~,¨                                          ¨,~†§$#@##
##§~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~§##
##$†,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,†$##
###$§~,,,¨                                          ¨,,,~§$###