¨:«*†%##@#                                          #@##%†*«:¨
¨:«*†%####                                          ####%†*«:¨
¨¨¨¨:«†%##                                          ##%†«:¨¨¨¨
¨:«*†%##@#                                          #@##%†*«:¨
¨:«*†%##@#                                          #@##%†*«:¨
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¨:«*†%##@# ¨:*            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.....             :«¨ #@##%†*«:¨
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¨:«*†%####                                          ####%†*«:¨
¨:«*†%####                                          ####%†*«:¨
¨:«*†%##@@                                          @@##%†*«:¨
¨¨::«**†#@                                          @#†**«::¨¨
¨¨¨««***†#                                          #†***««¨¨¨