,.~\%£££§#                                          #§£££%\~.,
,.~\%£§@##                                          ##@§£%\~.,
,.~\%£§@##                                          ##@§£%\~.,
,,,,,~%§§§                                          §§§%~,,,,,
,.~\%£§@##                                          ##@§£%\~.,
,.~\%%££§@ 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.       §§£\\~~.,,
,.~\%£§§§#                                          #§§§£%\~.,
,.~\%£§@##                                          ##@§£%\~.,
,.~\%£§@##                                          ##@§£%\~.,
,.~\%£§@##                                          ##@§£%\~.,
,.~\%£§@##                                          ##@§£%\~.,