..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
^.........                                          .........^
=^........ 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.       ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
^.........                                          .........^
=^........                                          ........^=