..=**£§###                                          ###§£**=..
..=**£§###                                          ###§£**=..
......=**§                                          §**=......
..=**£####                                          ####£**=..
..=**£§###                                          ###§£**=..
..=**£§### 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.       #§£*=.....
.....**£§#                                          #§£**.....
..=**£§###                                          ###§£**=..
...====*§#                                          #§*====...
.......**§                                          §**.......
......=*§#                                          #§*=......