####*^/~,¨                                          ¨,~/^*####
###*^/~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~/^*###
##*^/~,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,~/^*##
#*^/~,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,~/^*#
##*^/~,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,~/^*##
###*^/~,¨¨ 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.       ¨¨¨,~/^*##
#*^/~,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,~/^*#
##*^/~,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,~/^*##
###*^/~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~/^*###
####*^/~,¨                                          ¨,~/^*####
###*^/~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~/^*###