,,~\%%£§@@                                          @@§£%%\~,,
,,~\%£§§§@                                          @§§§£%\~,,
,,~\%£§@##                                          ##@§£%\~,,
,,,,~~\\%§                                          §%\\~~,,,,
,,~~~\%§@@                                          @@§%\~~~,,
,,~\%£§@## 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.              §§££%~,,,,
,,,,~~%%§#                                          #§%%~~,,,,
,,,,,\\%%§                                          §%%\\,,,,,
,,~\%£§@##                                          ##@§£%\~,,
,,,,,,,~%§                                          §%~,,,,,,,
,,,,~~\%§#                                          #§%\~~,,,,