,~-\^$§### ###§$^\-~,
,,,,-\\$$# #$$\\-,,,,
,~-\^$$§§§ §§§$$^\-~,
,~-\^$§### ###§$^\-~,
,,,,,--\$§ §$\--,,,,,
,,,~---\$# Gray Skies, Swirling With Soot. Stony #$\---~,,,
,,,,--^§§# Ground With No Hints Of Vegetation. #§§^--,,,,
,~-\^$§§## ##§§$^\-~,
,~-\^^$§## Below The Surface Are The Mines, ##§$^^\-~,
,~-\^^$§§§ Spiraling Down Into The Crust. Small §§§$^^\-~,
,~-\^$§### Compared To The Caverns They Eventually ###§$^\-~,
,~-\^$§### Reach And Join With. The Temperature Is ###§$^\-~,
,~-\^$§### Higher Down Here, And The View Is Not ###§$^\-~,
,,,,,-^$## As Monochrome: A Green Light Beckons ##$^-,,,,,
,,,,,-\^§§ From Below. §§^\-,,,,,
,,,,,-^$§# #§$^-,,,,,
,,,~-\\$$§ 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. ##§$$^\-~,
,~-\^$§### ###§$^\-~,
,,,,,-^$## ##$^-,,,,,
,~-\^$§### ###§$^\-~,
,~-\^$§### ###§$^\-~,
,,,,~~\^^§ §^^\~~,,,,