.:~;†£§@##                                          ##@§£†;~:.
.:~;†£§@##                                          ##@§£†;~:.
.....::;£@                                          @£;::.....
.:~;†£§@##                                          ##@§£†;~:.
.:~;†£§###                                          ###§£†;~:.
.:~;†£§@## 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.       @§§†;;:...
....~;†££§                                          §££†;~....
.:~;†£§@##                                          ##@§£†;~:.
.:~;†£@###                                          ###@£†;~:.
.:~;†£§@##                                          ##@§£†;~:.
..:~~;;†£§                                          §£†;;~~:..