.,~^^@¶### ###¶@^^~,.
..,~^^@¶## ##¶@^^~,..
...,~^^@¶# #¶@^^~,...
....,~^^@¶ ¶@^^~,....
.....,~^^@ @^^~,.....
......,~^^ 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. @^^~,.....
....,~^^@¶ ¶@^^~,....
...,~^^@¶# #¶@^^~,...
..,~^^@¶## ##¶@^^~,..
.,~^^@¶### ###¶@^^~,.
..,~^^@¶## ##¶@^^~,..