,,-*=%§@## ##@§%=*-,,
,,-*=%§@## ##@§%=*-,,
,,-*=%§@@@ @@@§%=*-,,
,,-*=%§@## ##@§%=*-,,
,,-*=%§### ###§%=*-,,
,,-*=%§@## 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. ###@§=*-,,
,,-*=%§@## ##@§%=*-,,
,,,-*=%%§@ @§%%=*-,,,
,,,,---*%@ @%*---,,,,
,,,,,,,-=§ §=-,,,,,,,
,,-*=%§@@# #@@§%=*-,,