###@**†~^,                                          ,^~†**@###
@**††~^^,,                                          ,,^^~††**@
##@@**†~^,                                          ,^~†**@@##
@@*~^^,,,,                                          ,,,,^^~*@@
@*~^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^~*@
@@@*†^,,,, 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.       ,,,,,,^†*@
###@@**†^,                                          ,^†**@@###
##@@**†~^,                                          ,^~†**@@##
@@*††††~^,                                          ,^~††††*@@
@**††^^^,,                                          ,,^^^††**@
##@@**†~^,                                          ,^~†**@@##