&,&&,,,&,& ,&,&,&,,&&
&&,&,,&&&, &&&&&&,&,,
,&&&,&,,&, ,,,,,&&&,&
&,,&&&,&&, ,,,,&,,&&&
&,&,,&&,&& ,,,&&,&,,,
&&&,&,&&,& 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. &,&&&&&&,&
,,,,,,&&,& &&,,,,,&&,
,,,,,&,&&, ,&,,,,&,&,
,,,,&&&,&& &&,,,&&&&,
,,,&,,&&,& ,&,,&,,,&,
,,&&,&,&&, &&,&&,,&&,