¨:~^†@¶@## ##@¶@†^~:¨
¨¨:~^†@¶@# #@¶@†^~:¨¨
¨¨¨:~^†@¶@ @¶@†^~:¨¨¨
¨¨:~^†@¶@# #@¶@†^~:¨¨
¨:~^†@¶@## ##@¶@†^~:¨
¨¨:~^†@¶@# 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. #@¶@†^~:¨¨
¨¨¨:~^†@¶@ @¶@†^~:¨¨¨
¨¨:~^†@¶@# #@¶@†^~:¨¨
¨:~^†@¶@## ##@¶@†^~:¨
¨¨:~^†@¶@# #@¶@†^~:¨¨
¨¨¨:~^†@¶@ @¶@†^~:¨¨¨