##@£%%/~^.                                          .^~/%%£@##
#@£%%/~^..                                          ..^~/%%£@#
@£%%/~^...                                          ...^~/%%£@
£%%/~^....                                          ....^~/%%£
%%/~^.....                                          .....^~/%%
%/~^...... 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.       ...^~/%%£@
#@£%%/~^..                                          ..^~/%%£@#
##@£%%/~^.                                          .^~/%%£@##
#@£%%/~^..                                          ..^~/%%£@#
@£%%/~^...                                          ...^~/%%£@
£%%/~^....                                          ....^~/%%£