,,,#,##,##                                          ,,,#,,,#,#
#,,,,##,##                                          ,,,,#,,,,,
,#,,,##,##                                          #,,,,#,,,,
,,#,,##,##                                          ,#,,,,#,,,
,,,#,##,#,                                          ,,#,,,,#,,
,,,,,##,,, 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.       ,,,,,,,,##
##,,#,,,##                                          ,,,,,,,,#,
###,,#,,#,                                          ,,,,,,,,,,
#,##,,#,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,,
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