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