,,,,::^^## ##^^::,,,,
,:«:^@#### ####@^:«:,
,,,,«^^^## ##^^^«,,,,
,,,,,:::@# #@:::,,,,,
,:«:^@@@@# #@@@@^:«:,
,,,,,««^## 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. ##@::,,,,,
,:«:^@#### ####@^:«:,
,,,,,««:^# #^:««,,,,,
,:«:^@#### ####@^:«:,
,:«:^@#### ####@^:«:,
,,,,:«««^# #^«««:,,,,