..~«;^%¤## ##¤%^;«~..
.~«;^%¤### ###¤%^;«~.
..~«;^%¤## ##¤%^;«~..
...~«;^%¤# #¤%^;«~...
..~«;^%¤## ##¤%^;«~..
.~«;^%¤### ...~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~... ###¤%^;«~.
..~«;^%¤## .~; 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..... ~«. ##¤%^;«~..
...~«;^%¤# ...~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~... #¤%^;«~...
..~«;^%¤## ##¤%^;«~..
.~«;^%¤### ###¤%^;«~.
..~«;^%¤## ##¤%^;«~..
...~«;^%¤# #¤%^;«~...
..~«;^%¤## ##¤%^;«~..