,,,,,,,,,. .,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.= =.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.=/ /=.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,.=/% %/=.,,,,,,
,,,,,.=/%$ $%/=.,,,,,
,,,,.=/%$§ 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. =.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.=/ /=.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,.=/% %/=.,,,,,,
,,,,,.=/%$ $%/=.,,,,,
,,,,.=/%$§ §$%/=.,,,,
,,,.=/%$§@ @§$%/=.,,,