@¤¤†«---..                                          ..---«†¤¤@
@¤¤†«-....                                          ....-«†¤¤@
¤†««-.....                                          .....-««†¤
###¤*†^«-.                                          .-«^†*¤###
@@#¤*†^«-.                                          .-«^†*¤#@@
#@#¤*†^«-. 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.       .-«^†*¤#@#
##@¤*†^«-.                                          .-«^†*¤@##
#¤*^«.....                                          .....«^*¤#
#@#¤*†^«-.                                          .-«^†*¤#@#
#@#¤*†^«-.                                          .-«^†*¤#@#
#@#¤*†^«-.                                          .-«^†*¤#@#