@@@§£^:-^.                                          .^-:^£§@@@
@£^^:-^...                                          ...^-:^^£@
#@@§£^:-^.                                          .^-:^£§@@#
#@@§£^:-^.                                          .^-:^£§@@#
##@§£^:-^.                                          .^-:^£§@##
§^^::::-^. 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.       .^-:^£§@@#
§^^^^---^.                                          .^---^^^^§
§££^^:-...                                          ...-:^^££§
#@@§£^:-^.                                          .^-:^£§@@#
§^--^^^^..                                          ..^^^^--^§
@§§££^:-^.                                          .^-:^££§§@