,,~/=¤@@@@ @@@@¤=/~,,
,,~/=¤@@## ##@@¤=/~,,
,,,,~~/¤@@ @@¤/~~,,,,
,,~/////¤@ @¤/////~,,
,,,,,,~=@# #@=~,,,,,,
,,~/=¤@@@@ 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. ##@@¤=/~,,
,,,~~~=¤@@ @@¤=~~~,,,
,,,,,/¤@@@ @@@¤/,,,,,
,,,,,~//=@ @=//~,,,,,
,,~/=¤@@@@ @@@@¤=/~,,
,,,,,,~/¤@ @¤/~,,,,,,