,,,,,^/**£                                          £**/^,,,,,
,,,,^^~*@£                                          £@*~^^,,,,
,^~/*@£@##                                          ##@£@*/~^,
,,,^~/**£@                                          @£**/~^,,,
,,,,,^^/@@                                          @@/^^,,,,,
,,,,,~***£ 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.               £@*/~^^,,,
,,,,,~*£@#                                          #@£*~,,,,,
,^~/*@£@##                                          ##@£@*/~^,
,^^^^/**£@                                          @£**/^^^^,
,^~/*@£@@@                                          @@@£@*/~^,
,,,,,^/@@#                                          #@@/^,,,,,