¨,~=%@@@ @@@#&%=~,¨
¨,~=%@@# #@@#&%=~,¨
¨¨,~~=== #&===~~,¨¨
¨¨¨¨~=@@ @@#&=~¨¨¨¨
¨¨,,===%#@ @#%===,,¨¨
¨,~=%@## ¨¨¨,,,============================,,,¨¨¨ ##@#&%=~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~%%# ¨,= 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..... ,~¨ #%==~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~%%#@ ¨¨¨,,,============================,,,¨¨¨ @#%%~¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~=%@@# #@@#&%=~,¨
¨,~=%#@@ @@##&%=~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~%%# #%%~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=%&@ @&%=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,,=%#@ @#%=,,¨¨¨¨