.-«^=*§£@#                                          #@£§*=^«-.
......-^=§                                          §=^-......
.....-«^*§                                          §*^«-.....
.....--^*£                                          £*^--.....
.-«^^^^**§                                          §**^^^^«-.
.....-«=*§ 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.       §***^««...
.-«^=*§£@#                                          #@£§*=^«-.
.......«=§                                          §=«.......
.....-^^*£                                          £*^^-.....
...-^^**§§                                          §§**^^-...
.------«=§                                          §=«------.