,,,,,,«=¤¤                                          ¤¤=«,,,,,,
,,,«««†=%#                                          #%=†«««,,,
,,,,††††=¤                                          ¤=††††,,,,
,,,,,,«=%#                                          #%=«,,,,,,
,,,,,†=¤##                                          ##¤=†,,,,,
,,«†=%¤#@# 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.       ¤=††,,,,,,
,,«†===%#@                                          @#%===†«,,
,,«†=%¤#@#                                          #@#¤%=†«,,
,,«†=%¤#@#                                          #@#¤%=†«,,
,«†=%¤#@##                                          ##@#¤%=†«,
,,«†=%¤#@#                                          #@#¤%=†«,,