,,,,,~~^$¶ ¶$^~~,,,,,
,,,,,,~^$§ §$^~,,,,,,
,~~^^$§¶## ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^^^^$¶ ¶$^^^^^~~,
,,,,,~~~^§ §^~~~,,,,,
,~~^^$§¶## gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## ground with no hints of vegetation. ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## below the surface are the mines, ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## spiraling down into the crust. small ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## compared to the caverns they eventually ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## reach and join with. the temperature is ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## higher down here, and the view is not ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## as monochrome: a green light beckons ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## from below. ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## long ago, there was a lifeform here. in ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## the center of the planetoid, something ##¶§$^^~~,
,,,,,,~^^§ 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 §^^~~~,,,,
,,,~~~^$$¶ away. the elves have ¶$$^~~~,,,
,~~^^$§¶## strapped themselves in, and ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## are lying completely still, ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~~~^$§§¶ like corpses. ¶§§$^~~~~,
,,,,,~^§¶¶ ¶¶§^~,,,,,
,~~^^$§### ###§$^^~~,
,~~^$§¶### ###¶§$^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## ##¶§$^^~~,
,~~^^$§¶## ##¶§$^^~~,