###££§\~,. .,~\§££###
##££§\~,.. ..,~\§££##
#££§\~,... ...,~\§££#
££§\~,.... ....,~\§££
£§\~,..... .....,~\§£
§\~,...... ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... ......,~\§
\~,....... .,\ 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..... ,~. .......,~\
~,........ ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... ........,~
,......... .........,
~,........ ........,~
\~,....... .......,~\
§\~,...... ......,~\§
£§\~,..... .....,~\§£