.,~†§£##@#                                          #@##£§†~,.
..,~†§£##@                                          @##£§†~,..
...,~†§£##                                          ##£§†~,...
....,~†§£#                                          #£§†~,....
.....,~†§£                                          £§†~,.....
......,~†§ 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.       ##£§†~,...
..,~†§£##@                                          @##£§†~,..
.,~†§£##@#                                          #@##£§†~,.
..,~†§£##@                                          @##£§†~,..
...,~†§£##                                          ##£§†~,...
....,~†§£#                                          #£§†~,....