.^=\*$#£##                                          ##£#$*\=^.
..^=\*$#£#                                          #£#$*\=^..
...^=\*$#£                                          £#$*\=^...
....^=\*$#                                          #$*\=^....
.....^=\*$                                          $*\=^.....
......^=\* in  the  endless  winter  day,  on   the *\=^......
.......^=\ crystal  white plains... we trudge along \=^.......
........^=   the train tracks... themselves slowly  =^........
.........^ snowed  over,  in the still hours  since ^.........
..........          the last supply train.          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........     bell-like sounds of the blinding     ..........
.......... ground. rifles  attached  to our  wrist, ..........
.......... sharing  in our  bloodstream. my  husky, ..........
.........^      my warm-coffee-in-cold-snow...      ^.........
........^=                                          =^........
.......^=\ the  first  five  shots  you  can  spend \=^.......
......^=\* indiscriminately,  they hurt but deal no *\=^......
.....^=\*$ 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.       $*\=^.....
......^=\*                                          *\=^......
.......^=\                                          \=^.......
........^=                                          =^........
.........^                                          ^.........
..........                                          ..........