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