..^^^««/†#                                          #†/««^^^..
.^«/†@#@##                                          ##@#@†/«^.
.....^«/@#                                          #@/«^.....
.^«/†@#@##                                          ##@#@†/«^.
.^«/†@#@##                                          ##@#@†/«^.
.^«/†@#@## 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.       ##††«.....
.....«/@##                                          ##@/«.....
.^«/†@#@##                                          ##@#@†/«^.
.^«/†@#@##                                          ##@#@†/«^.
.^«/†@#@##                                          ##@#@†/«^.
.....«//@#                                          #@//«.....