@†/~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~/†@
#@†/~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~/†@#
@#@†/~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~/†@#@
#@#@†/~.¨¨ ¨¨.~/†@#@#
##@#@†/~.¨ ¨.~/†@#@##
#@#@†/~.¨¨ ¨¨¨...////////////////////////////...¨¨¨ ¨¨.~/†@#@#
@#@†/~.¨¨¨ ¨./ 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..... .~¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...////////////////////////////...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.