¨:»†*££### ###££*†»:¨
¨:»†††*£££ £££*†††»:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:»*££ ££*»:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨::†††££¶ ¶££†††::¨¨
¨:»†*££¶## ##¶££*†»:¨
¨:»†*££¶## 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. #¶££*»»:¨¨
¨:»†*££¶## ##¶££*†»:¨
¨:»†*££¶## ##¶££*†»:¨
¨:»»»»»»*£ £*»»»»»»:¨
¨:»†*££¶## ##¶££*†»:¨
¨¨¨»»»†**£ £**†»»»¨¨¨