¤¤††;;;«..                                          ..«;;;††¤¤
####*†;«..                                          ..«;†*####
###¤*†;«..                                          ..«;†*¤###
¤¤†;«.....                                          .....«;†¤¤
¤¤¤**†;«..                                          ..«;†**¤¤¤
#**;...... 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.       ..«««;;**#
¤††«......                                          ......«††¤
###¤*†;«..                                          ..«;†*¤###
¤*;.......                                          .......;*¤
###¤*†;«..                                          ..«;†*¤###
#*††;.....                                          .....;††*#