.....~\*&#                                          #&*\~.....
....~\*&##                                          ##&*\~....
...~\*&###                                          ###&*\~...
..~\*&####                                          ####&*\~..
...~\*&###                                          ###&*\~...
....~\*&## 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.       *\~.......
........~\                                          \~........
.........~                                          ~.........
..........                                          ..........
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