.^~\†¤§###                                          ###§¤†\~^.
.....~†¤##                                          ##¤†~.....
.^~\†¤§###                                          ###§¤†\~^.
......^\¤§                                          §¤\^......
.^~\†¤§###                                          ###§¤†\~^.
..^^~†¤¤¤§ 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.       ##¤¤†\\~^.
....^^~†¤#                                          #¤†~^^....
.....~†¤¤§                                          §¤¤†~.....
......~†¤#                                          #¤†~......
..^~\†¤¤§§                                          §§¤¤†\~^..
.^~\†¤§###                                          ###§¤†\~^.