,~«\%&£¶##                                          ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶#                                          #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶##                                          ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶#                                          #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶##                                          ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ,,,~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~,,, #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ,~\            THE  SPIRE            «\, ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# «\~««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««\«~ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## \«~ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    \~« ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# \~« BENEVOLENT SPIRE,  TOWERING WELL ~\« #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ~\«  ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ~«\ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ~«\ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED «~\ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## «~\       LIKED  A   MUSHROOM.       «\~ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# «\~      WE  LOVED  IT  DEARLY.      \«~ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## \«~««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««\~« ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# \~« IT PREDATED  US  BY  MANY YEARS, ~\« #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ~\« AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ~«\ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ~«\ BUILDERS.  THEY  HAD  USED  ITS  «~\ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## «~\  HOLLOW  BODY  FOR MANY STRANGE  «\~ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# «\~ PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE  OF  \«~ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## \«~ GESTATION, A  STORAGE OF  STRAGE \~« ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# \~« FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF ~\« #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ~\«   ARCANE    DEITY.               ~«\ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ~«\«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««~\ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## «~\  WE  WERE   GRATEFUL   FOR  ITS  «\~ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# «\~  PRESENCE, AND HONORED  IT  THE  \«~ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## \«~  ONLY  WAY  WE  KNEW  HOW:   BY  \~« ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ,~«       BREAKING        IN.        ~«, #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ,,,~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~,,, ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶#                                          #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶##                                          ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ,,,~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~,,, #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ,«\ THIS PLACE  WE CALLED  OUR CITY: ~\« ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ~\«  WAVY AND  FRACTURED, WITH EACH  \~« #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## \~« COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, \«~ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# \«~ ROADS  BECOMING ROOFS  BECOMING  «\~ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## «\~  DRAINS.  AND SOME  PLACES, LIKE «~\ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# «~\ THE  SPIRE, NOBODY  HAD ACCESSED ~«\ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ~«\  FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS  WALLS ~\« ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ~\«  ARE  JUST  TOO HIGH,  AND  THE  \~« #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## \~« INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, \«~ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# \«~  A PLACE AMONG  OTHERS IS EASILY «\~ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## «\~            OVERLOOKED.           ~«\ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ~«\««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««~\« #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ~\« SO, BASICALLY,  THAT SUMMER THE  \~« ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# \~« FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND «~\ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## \«~ CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR «\~ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# «\~ A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND «~\ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## «~\ PLAY  MUSIC  ON OUR  HANDHELDS.  ~«\ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ~«\  INSTEAD  WE  FOUND  VAST LUNGS  ~\« #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ~\«   DRAINED  OF  THEIR  CATALYST   \~« ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# \~« SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE  VIEW TO \«~ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## \«~ MAKE SENSE OF  OUR ROAMINGS FOR  «\~ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# «\~         YEARS   TO   COME.       «~\ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## «~\««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««~«\ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ~«\  A  CENTRAL SPINE,  A  STAIRCASE ~\« #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ~\« AROUND  IT, THE SEVEN  TOROIDAL  \~« ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# \~«  LUNGS  STACKED OUTSIDE, AND THE \«~ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## \«~ CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS «\~ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# «\~ FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES «~\ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## «~\   FOR  RADIATING  CONSCIOUSNESS  ~«\ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ,«\           INVITATIONS.           ~\, #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ,,,~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~,,, ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶#                                          #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ,,,~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~,,, ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ,~\ IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS \«~ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## «\~ TOPPLED AND EATEN BY  MACHINES.  \~« ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# \«~ AFTER  A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS ~\« #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## \~« CONJURED  IN  ITS PLACE. IT'S  A ~«\ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ~\« TINY MAW AT FIRST,  SHORTER THAN «~\ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ~«\  US,  AND  WE  LET  IT  BE.  OUR «\~ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# «~\ JOURNEYS STILL END  AT ITS FEET. \«~ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## «\~««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««\~« ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# \«~ BUT  THEN  WE  ARE BETRAYED. THE ~\« #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## \~«  NEW  TOWER EATS US.  OTHERS ARE ~«\ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ~\« SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE «~\ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ~«\  MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT,  ONLY TO  «\~ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# «~\  DISAPPEAR  IN THE  EVENING FOG. \«~ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## «\~  FOR A WHILE  ITS  SOME  KIND OF \~« ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# \«~ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ~\« #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## \~« OUTSIDE, AND WE GET  BEATEN UP A ~«\ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ~\«  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  «~\ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ~«\«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««\~ ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# «~\  IIRC  IT'S  CURRENTLY  OWNED BY \«~ #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## «\~ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES \~« ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# \«~ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS  FOURTY EIGHT ~\« #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶## ,~«             CARS.....            ~«, ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶# ,,,~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~,,, #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶##                                          ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶#                                          #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶##                                          ##¶£&%\«~,
,,~«\%&£¶#                                          #¶£&%\«~,,
,~«\%&£¶##                                          ##¶£&%\«~,