¨.~/$§&££#                                          #££&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§£###                                          ###£§$/~.¨
¨¨¨¨../$§£                                          £§$/..¨¨¨¨
¨.~/$§&£##                                          ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£##                                          ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£## gray  skies,  swirling with soot.  stony ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£## ground  with  no  hints  of  vegetation. ##£&§$/~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.//$&                                          &$//.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~/$§&£## below  the   surface   are   the  mines, ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£## spiraling  down  into  the  crust. small ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§§§§£ compared  to the caverns they eventually £§§§§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£## reach and join with.  the temperature is ##£&§$/~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨./$& higher  down here,  and the view  is not &$/.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~~/$$$&# as  monochrome:  a green  light  beckons #&$$$/~~.¨
¨¨¨...~/$&               from below.                &$/~...¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~$$§£                                          £§$$~.¨¨¨¨
¨.~/$§&£## long ago, there was a lifeform  here. in ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§£### the center of  the planetoid,  something ###£§$/~.¨
.~/$§&£### dormant,  waiting for  a collision  with ###£&§$/~.
¨.~/$§&### another   body.   but   no  planet   was ###&§$/~.¨
¨..~~$$&&& reached,  and  over  time,  the seedling &&&$$~~..¨
¨.~/$§&£##             became a sludge.             ##£&§$/~.¨
¨¨¨¨./$&£#                                          #£&$/.¨¨¨¨
¨.~/$§&£## and  elves  came  as  miners,   and  the ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&££#            sludge was bottled.           #££&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&&&&                                          &&&&§$/~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~$$& ######################################## &$$~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~/$§&£## #                                      # ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£## # ######&#&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&#&###### # ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£££ # #                                  # # £££&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£## # # #££&$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&$&££# # # ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£## £ # #                              # # £ ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&### £ # #   the cargo ship is filled,  # # £ ###&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£## § # £      prepared for launch,    £ # § ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&### $ £ £   ignition sequence started  £ £ $ ###&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£## / & £    hours ago. elves in the   £ & / ##£&§$/~.¨
¨¨¨¨.~/$&# / $ &   passenger cabin, not yet   & $ / #&$/~.¨¨¨¨
¨.~/$§&£## ~ / &   seated. but something is   & / ~ ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£## ~ ~ §   wrong. there is something  § ~ ~ ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§§§&£ . . $   green around their mouths. $ . . £&§§§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£## . . / the sludge has been sampled, / . . ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£## . . ~     entertained, and then    ~ . . ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£## . . .      finally binged on.      . . . ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~$§&£### ¨ ¨ ¨                              ¨ ¨ ¨ ###£&§$~.¨
¨¨¨./$$&&& ¨ ¨ ¨ the engines are burning hot, ¨ ¨ ¨ &&&$$/.¨¨¨
¨.~/$§&£##         and the ship accelerates         ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£££           away. the elves have           £££&§$/~.¨
¨¨¨..~$§&£        strapped themselves in, and       £&§$~..¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~$&£        are lying completely still,       £&$~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~/$§&£##              like corpses.               ##£&§$/~.¨
¨.~/$§&£##                                          ##£&§$/~.¨
¨¨¨~/$§&££                                          ££&§$/~¨¨¨
¨¨.../§§§&                                          &§§§/...¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~~~$&                                          &$~~~.¨¨¨¨
¨.~/$§&£##                                          ##£&§$/~.¨