##¶@%^^=., ,.=^^%@¶##
¶%^...,,,, ,,,,...^%¶
###¶%^^=., ,.=^^%¶###
##¶@%^^=., ,.=^^%@¶##
##¶@%^^=., ,.=^^%@¶##
##¶@%^^=., 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. ,,,,.^^%¶#
###¶%^^=., ,.=^^%¶###
¶@^^==..., ,...==^^@¶
##¶@%^^=., ,.=^^%@¶##
@%%^==,,,, ,,,,==^%%@
@^^^^.,,,, ,,,,.^^^^@