§=;~,..... .....,~;=§
#§=;~,.... ....,~;=§#
##§=;~,... ...,~;=§##
###§=;~,.. ..,~;=§###
####§=;~,. .,~;=§####
###§=;~,.. ...,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,... ..,~;=§###
##§=;~,... .,; 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..... ,~. ...,~;=§##
###§=;~,.. ...,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,... ..,~;=§###
####§=;~,. .,~;=§####
###§=;~,.. ..,~;=§###
##§=;~,... ...,~;=§##
#§=;~,.... ....,~;=§#
§=;~,..... .....,~;=§