.^~*%%@###                                          ###@%%*~^.
..^~*%%@##                                          ##@%%*~^..
...^~*%%@#                                          #@%%*~^...
....^~*%%@                                          @%%*~^....
.....^~*%%                                          %%*~^.....
......^~*% 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.       #@%%*~^...
..^~*%%@##                                          ##@%%*~^..
.^~*%%@###                                          ###@%%*~^.
..^~*%%@##                                          ##@%%*~^..
...^~*%%@#                                          #@%%*~^...
....^~*%%@                                          @%%*~^....