&%%=~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~=%%&
@&%%=~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~=%%&@
#@&%%=~,¨¨ ¨¨,~=%%&@#
##@&%%=~,¨ ¨,~=%%&@##
#@&%%=~,¨¨ ¨¨,~=%%&@#
@&%%=~,¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
=~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~=
%=~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~=%
%%=~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~=%%
&%%=~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~=%%&