..-~*†$#£@                                          @£#$†*~-..
...-~*†$#£                                          £#$†*~-...
..-~*†$#£@                                          @£#$†*~-..
.-~*†$#£@#                                          #@£#$†*~-.
..-~*†$#£@                                          @£#$†*~-..
...-~*†$#£ in  the  endless  winter   day,  on  the £#$†*~-...
..-~*†$#£@ crystal white plains... we  trudge along @£#$†*~-..
.-~*†$#£@#  the train tracks... themselves slowly   #@£#$†*~-.
..-~*†$#£@ snowed  over, in  the still  hours since @£#$†*~-..
...-~*†$#£          the last supply train.          £#$†*~-...
..-~*†$#£@                                          @£#$†*~-..
.-~*†$#£@#     bell-like sounds of the blinding     #@£#$†*~-.
..-~*†$#£@ ground.  rifles  attached to our  wrist, @£#$†*~-..
...-~*†$#£ sharing in  our  bloodstream. my  husky, £#$†*~-...
..-~*†$#£@      my warm-coffee-in-cold-snow...      @£#$†*~-..
.-~*†$#£@#                                          #@£#$†*~-.
..-~*†$#£@ the  first  five  shots  you  can  spend @£#$†*~-..
...-~*†$#£ indiscriminately, they hurt  but deal no £#$†*~-...
..-~*†$#£@ long  time  damage  to the  shooter. the @£#$†*~-..
.-~*†$#£@# next  five you must  spend wisely,  they #@£#$†*~-.
..-~*†$#£@ will take  days to heal.  the final five @£#$†*~-..
...-~*†$#£ you    must    not    spend   at    all. £#$†*~-...
..-~*†$#£@                                          @£#$†*~-..
.-~*†$#£@# weeks earlier, in the weak  autumn dawn, #@£#$†*~-.
..-~*†$#£@ in  the blue-gray  fog...  something  is @£#$†*~-..
...-~*†$#£ burning  with  a  deep   crimson  flame, £#$†*~-...
..-~*†$#£@       untameable by water or wind.       @£#$†*~-..
.-~*†$#£@#                                          #@£#$†*~-.
..-~*†$#£@                                          @£#$†*~-..
...-~*†$#£                                          £#$†*~-...
..-~*†$#£@                                          @£#$†*~-..
.-~*†$#£@#                                          #@£#$†*~-.