¤**\~..... .....~\**¤
**\~...... ......~\**
*\~....... .......~\*
\~........ ........~\
~......... .........~
\~........ 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. ......~\**
*\~....... .......~\*
\~........ ........~\
~......... .........~
\~........ ........~\
*\~....... .......~\*