....~~^££#                                          #££^~~....
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.:~=^*£### 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.       #£*^~.....
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