.........~                                          ~.........
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.......... 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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