###§@§\»~¨                                          ¨~»\§@§###
###§@§\»~¨                                          ¨~»\§@§###
§§\»¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨»\§§
#§§§@§\»~¨                                          ¨~»\§@§§§#
###§@§\»~¨                                          ¨~»\§@§###
§§§»~¨¨¨¨¨ 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.       ¨~»\§@§###
###§@§\»~¨                                          ¨~»\§@§###
####@§\»~¨                                          ¨~»\§@####
#@@\\\~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~\\\@@#
###§@§\»~¨                                          ¨~»\§@§###
#§§\~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~\§§#