###@£†*«-,                                          ,-«*†£@###
@††††*«,,,                                          ,,,«*††††@
#@@†*-,,,,                                          ,,,,-*†@@#
####@£†*«-                                          -«*†£@####
###@£†*«-,                                          ,-«*†£@###
###@£†*«-, 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.       ,-«*†£££@#
#@@††*--,,                                          ,,--*††@@#
@@@@£†*«-,                                          ,-«*†£@@@@
@£*«-,,,,,                                          ,,,,,-«*£@
###@£†*«-,                                          ,-«*†£@###
###@£†*«-,                                          ,-«*†£@###