,,~****@@@ @@@****~,,
,,,~~*¤¤¶¶ ¶¶¤¤*~~,,,
,,,,,,*¤@# #@¤*,,,,,,
,,~**¤@¶## ##¶@¤**~,,
,,~**¤@¶## ##¶@¤**~,,
,,~**¤@¶## 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. @*~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~*¤¶ ¶¤*~,,,,,,
,,~**¤@¶## ##¶@¤**~,,
,,~**¤¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤¤**~,,
,,,,,,~*¤@ @¤*~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,**@ @**,,,,,,,