§†=,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,=†§
£§†=,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,=†§£
#£§†=,,,,,                                          ,,,,,=†§£#
##£§†=,,,,                                          ,,,,=†§£##
###£§†=,,,                                          ,,,=†§£###
####£§†=,, 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.               ,,,,,,=†§£
#£§†=,,,,,                                          ,,,,,=†§£#
##£§†=,,,,                                          ,,,,=†§£##
###£§†=,,,                                          ,,,=†§£###
####£§†=,,                                          ,,=†§£####
###£§†=,,,                                          ,,,=†§£###