¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~/ /~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. &@%/~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~/%@ @%/~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~/% %/~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~/ /~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨