,,,,,,~;%¤ ¤%;~,,,,,,
,,,,,==;$¤ ¤$;==,,,,,
,~=;%$¤### ###¤$%;=~,
,~=;%$¤¤¤# #¤¤¤$%;=~,
,~=;%$¤### ###¤$%;=~,
,~=;%$¤### Gray Skies, Swirling With Soot. Stony ###¤$%;=~,
,,,,,~;$## Ground With No Hints Of Vegetation. ##$;~,,,,,
,~=;%$¤### ###¤$%;=~,
,,,~;%%¤## 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. #¤%==,,,,,
,~=;%$¤### ###¤$%;=~,
,~=;%%%$$¤ ¤$$%%%;=~,
,~=;%$¤### ###¤$%;=~,
,~=;%$¤### ###¤$%;=~,
,,,,,=;%$¤ ¤$%;=,,,,,