,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~: :~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~:* *:~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~:*$ 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. ##£@$*:~,,
,,,~:*$@£# #£@$*:~,,,
,,,,~:*$@£ £@$*:~,,,,
,,,,,~:*$@ @$*:~,,,,,
,,,,,,~:*$ $*:~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~:* *:~,,,,,,,