#@§§†=^...                                          ...^=†§§@#
@§§†=^....                                          ....^=†§§@
§§†=^.....                                          .....^=†§§
§†=^......                                          ......^=†§
†=^.......                                          .......^=†
=^........ 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.       .^=†§§@###
##@§§†=^..                                          ..^=†§§@##
#@§§†=^...                                          ...^=†§§@#
@§§†=^....                                          ....^=†§§@
§§†=^.....                                          .....^=†§§
§†=^......                                          ......^=†§