#§*†,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,†*§#
#£*~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~*£#
###£§*†~,,                                          ,,~†*§£###
##££§*†~,,                                          ,,~†*§££##
###£§*†~,,                                          ,,~†*§£###
#£*†,,,,,, 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.       ,,~†*§££##
£§*~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~*§£
££§§**†~,,                                          ,,~†**§§££
##£§†††~,,                                          ,,~†††§£##
££*~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~*££
###£§*†~,,                                          ,,~†*§£###