##£#£*\~:.                                          .:~\*£#£##
##£#£*\~:.                                          .:~\*£#£##
#*\~......                                          ......~\*#
##£#£*\~:.                                          .:~\*£#£##
##£#£*\~:.                                          .:~\*£#£##
##£#£*\~:. 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.       .:~\*£#£££
##£#£*\~:.                                          .:~\*£#£##
###£#£*\~:                                          :~\*£#£###
##£**~....                                          ....~**£##
££*~......                                          ......~*££
#*~:......                                          ......:~*#