####£^^~:¨                                          ¨:~^^£####
#££§§^^~:¨                                          ¨:~^^§§££#
###£§^^~:¨                                          ¨:~^^§£###
###£§^^~:¨                                          ¨:~^^§£###
#££^^^~~:¨                                          ¨:~~^^^££#
###£§^^~:¨ 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.       ¨:~^^§£###
£§^^:::¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:::^^§£
#£§§§^^~:¨                                          ¨:~^^§§§£#
###£§^^~:¨                                          ¨:~^^§£###
###£§^^~:¨                                          ¨:~^^§£###
##£§^^:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:^^§£##