¨:~;*&§@@@ @@@§&*;~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:;;&@ @&;;:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~*§§ §§*~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~;*&§@## ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## ##@§&*;~:¨
¨::::;*§§§ gray skies, swirling with soot. stony §§§*;::::¨
¨:~;*&§@## ground with no hints of vegetation. ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§### ###§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## below the surface are the mines, ##@§&*;~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:;**§ spiraling down into the crust. small §**;:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~;*&§@## compared to the caverns they eventually ##@§&*;~:¨
¨¨¨~;;*&@@ reach and join with. the temperature is @@&*;;~¨¨¨
¨:~;*&§@## higher down here, and the view is not ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## as monochrome: a green light beckons ##@§&*;~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~*&@ from below. @&*~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~;&§ §&;~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:;&§# long ago, there was a lifeform here. in #§&;:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~;*&§@## the center of the planetoid, something ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## dormant, waiting for a collision with ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§### another body. but no planet was ###§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## reached, and over time, the seedling ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## became a sludge. ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§§§§ §§§§&*;~:¨
¨:~*&§@### and elves came as miners, and the ###@§&*~:¨
¨¨¨~;**&§@ sludge was bottled. @§&**;~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~;***§ §***;~¨¨¨¨
¨:~;*&§@## ######################################## ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@@@ # # @@@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## # ######§#§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§#§###### # ##@§&*;~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~*&@ # # # # @&*~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:~~*§@@ # # #@@§*§********************§*§@@# # # @@§*~~:¨¨¨
¨:~;*&§@## @ # # # # @ ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## @ # # the cargo ship is filled, # # @ ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## & # @ prepared for launch, @ # & ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§§@@ * @ @ ignition sequence started @ @ * @@§§&*;~:¨
¨¨¨¨::;*§# ; § @ hours ago. elves in the @ § ; #§*;::¨¨¨¨
¨:~;*&§@## ; * § passenger cabin, not yet § * ; ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§### ~ ; § seated. but something is § ; ~ ###§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## ~ ~ & wrong. there is something & ~ ~ ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@@# : : * green around their mouths. * : : #@@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;***&@# : : ; the sludge has been sampled, ; : : #@&***;~:¨
¨¨¨¨:;&&§@ : : ~ entertained, and then ~ : : @§&&;:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:;;*§§ : : : finally binged on. : : : §§*;;:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:::;*§ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ §*;:::¨¨¨¨
¨:~;*&§@## ¨ ¨ ¨ the engines are burning hot, ¨ ¨ ¨ ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## and the ship accelerates ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## away. the elves have ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## strapped themselves in, and ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;*&§@## are lying completely still, ##@§&*;~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:;&@ like corpses. @&;:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:;*§# #§*;:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨::~;;&@# #@&;;~::¨¨
¨¨¨:::~*&@ @&*~:::¨¨¨
¨:~;*&§@## ##@§&*;~:¨
¨:~;**&§§§ §§§&**;~:¨