#&£*^~^,,,                                          ,,,^~^*£&#
&£*^~^,,,,                                          ,,,,^~^*£&
#&£*^~^,,,                                          ,,,^~^*£&#
##&£*^~^,,                                          ,,^~^*£&##
###&£*^~^,                                          ,^~^*£&###
##&£*^~^,, 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.       ,,,^~^*£&#
##&£*^~^,,                                          ,,^~^*£&##
###&£*^~^,                                          ,^~^*£&###
##&£*^~^,,                                          ,,^~^*£&##
#&£*^~^,,,                                          ,,,^~^*£&#
&£*^~^,,,,                                          ,,,,^~^*£&