¨~~*=%## ###&%=*~~¨
¨~~*=%## ###&%=*~~¨
¨~~*=%%% #&%%%=*~~¨
¨~~~~~*= #&=*~~~~~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~*%# #%*~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~*=%## ¨¨¨~~~****************************~~~¨¨¨ ###&%=*~~¨
¨¨¨~**== ¨~* 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..... ~~¨ ###&%=*~~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~*%& ¨¨¨~~~****************************~~~¨¨¨ &%*~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~*=%## ###&%=*~~¨
¨~~*=%## ###&%=*~~¨
¨~~*=%## ###&%=*~~¨
¨~~*=%%# ##&%%=*~~¨
¨~~*=%%%%& &%%%%=*~~¨