##@§@%†--¨                                          ¨--†%@§@##
@§%†---¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨---†%§@
##@§@%†--¨                                          ¨--†%@§@##
@§%††--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--††%§@
§@†----¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨----†@§
#§§%--¨¨¨¨ 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.       ¨--†%@§@##
@@@%-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-%@@@
##@§@%†--¨                                          ¨--†%@§@##
#@§@†-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-†@§@#
##@§@%†--¨                                          ¨--†%@§@##
§§§%†--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--†%§§§