¨~~=$¤&### ###&¤$=~~¨
¨¨~~~=¤¤&# #&¤¤=~~~¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~=¤¤# #¤¤=~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=$&# #&$=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~=$¤&### ###&¤$=~~¨
¨~=$¤&#### gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ####&¤$=~¨
¨~~=$¤&### ground with no hints of vegetation. ###&¤$=~~¨
¨~~~====$& &$====~~~¨
¨~~=$¤&### below the surface are the mines, ###&¤$=~~¨
¨~~=$¤&### spiraling down into the crust. small ###&¤$=~~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=$¤# compared to the caverns they eventually #¤$=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~=$¤&### reach and join with. the temperature is ###&¤$=~~¨
¨¨¨¨~~=¤¤# 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 #¤¤==~~~~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=$&# away. the elves have #&$=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~=$¤&### strapped themselves in, and ###&¤$=~~¨
¨~~=$¤¤&&# are lying completely still, #&&¤¤$=~~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~$¤# like corpses. #¤$~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~==¤&# #&¤==~¨¨¨¨
¨~~=$¤&### ###&¤$=~~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~=¤# #¤=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~=$¤¤¤¤# #¤¤¤¤$=~~¨
¨¨¨~~~==$& &$==~~~¨¨¨