@@%%†~~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~~†%%@@
#§%†--¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨--†%§#
@%†††††-~¨                                          ¨~-†††††%@
§%§†--~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~--†§%§
###@%§†-~¨                                          ¨~-†§%@###
##@§%§†-~¨ 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.       ¨~-†§%§@@@
#@@§%§†-~¨                                          ¨~-†§%§@@#
##@§%§†-~¨                                          ¨~-†§%§@##
###@%§†-~¨                                          ¨~-†§%@###
#§%§§§†-~¨                                          ¨~-†§§§%§#
###@§%§†-~                                          ~-†§%§@###