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