,,»\$%#£## ##£#%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## ##£#%$\»,,
,,,,»$$##£ £##$$»,,,,
,,»\$%#£££ £££#%$\»,,
,,,,,,\$$# #$$\,,,,,,
,,»\$%#£## ,,,,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,,,, ##£#%$\»,,
,,»\$%%%%# ,,\ THE SPIRE »\, #%%%%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## »\,»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»\», ##£#%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## \», ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A \,» ##£#%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## \,» BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ,\» ##£#%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## ,\» ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ,»\ ##£#%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## ,»\ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED »,\ ##£#%$\»,,
,,»»»$%%#£ »,\ LIKED A MUSHROOM. »\, £#%%$»»»,,
,,»\$%#£## »\, WE LOVED IT DEARLY. \», ##£#%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## \»,»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»\,» ##£#%$\»,,
,,\$%#£### \,» IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, ,\» ###£#%$\,,
,,»\$%#£## ,\» AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ,»\ ##£#%$\»,,
,,»\$%#### ,»\ BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS »,\ ####%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## »,\ HOLLOW BODY FOR MANY STRANGE »\, ##£#%$\»,,
,,,,,»$%## »\, PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE OF \», ##%$»,,,,,
,,»\$%#£## \», GESTATION, A STORAGE OF STRAGE \,» ##£#%$\»,,
,,,,»\\$%# \,» FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF ,\» #%$\\»,,,,
,,,,,,»\%£ ,\» ARCANE DEITY. ,»\ £%\»,,,,,,
,,,,,\\$## ,»\»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»,\ ##$\\,,,,,
,,»\$%#£## »,\ WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS »\, ##£#%$\»,,
,,»\$#£### »\, PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE \», ###£#$\»,,
,,»\$%%%%# \», ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY \,» #%%%%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## ,,» BREAKING IN. ,», ##£#%$\»,,
,,,,»»\%£# ,,,,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,,,, #£%\»»,,,,
,,,»\$$$## ##$$$\»,,,
,,»\$%##£# #£##%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## ,,,,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,,,, ##£#%$\»,,
,,,,,,,\%£ ,»\ THIS PLACE WE CALLED OUR CITY: ,\» £%\,,,,,,,
,,»\$%#£## ,\» WAVY AND FRACTURED, WITH EACH \,» ##£#%$\»,,
,,,,,»»$%£ \,» COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, \», £%$»»,,,,,
,,»\$%#£## \», ROADS BECOMING ROOFS BECOMING »\, ##£#%$\»,,
,,,,,\%%£# »\, DRAINS. AND SOME PLACES, LIKE »,\ #£%%\,,,,,
,,»\$%#£## »,\ THE SPIRE, NOBODY HAD ACCESSED ,»\ ##£#%$\»,,
,,,,\$%#££ ,»\ FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS ,\» ££#%$\,,,,
,»\$%#£### ,\» ARE JUST TOO HIGH, AND THE \,» ###£#%$\»,
,,,,»\%##£ \,» INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, \», £##%\»,,,,
,,»\$%#£## \», A PLACE AMONG OTHERS IS EASILY »\, ##£#%$\»,,
,,,»»\\$#£ »\, OVERLOOKED. ,»\ £#$\\»»,,,
,,,,,,,\%# ,»\»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»,\» #%\,,,,,,,
,,»\$%#££# ,\» SO, BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER THE \,» #££#%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## \,» FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND »,\ ##£#%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## \», CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR »\, ##£#%$\»,,
,,,,,,\$## »\, A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND »,\ ##$\,,,,,,
,,,,,,,»$# »,\ PLAY MUSIC ON OUR HANDHELDS. ,»\ #$»,,,,,,,
,,»$%#£### ,»\ INSTEAD WE FOUND VAST LUNGS ,\» ###£#%$»,,
,,»\$%#£## ,\» DRAINED OF THEIR CATALYST \,» ##£#%$\»,,
,,,,,»$%## \,» SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO \», ##%$»,,,,,
,,,,»»$%%£ \», MAKE SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR »\, £%%$»»,,,,
,,»\$%#£## »\, YEARS TO COME. »,\ ##£#%$\»,,
,,,,,,\%## »,\»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»,»\ ##%\,,,,,,
,,»\%#£### ,»\ A CENTRAL SPINE, A STAIRCASE ,\» ###£#%\»,,
,,»\$%#£££ ,\» AROUND IT, THE SEVEN TOROIDAL \,» £££#%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## \,» LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE, AND THE \», ##£#%$\»,,
,,»\$$%%#£ \», CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS »\, £#%%$$\»,,
,,,,,»\$## »\, 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..... ,», ####%$\»,,
,,,,,,\\$# ,,,,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,,,, #$\\,,,,,,
,,,,,»\%£# #£%\»,,,,,
,,»\$%£### ###£%$\»,,
,,»\$%#£## ##£#%$\»,,
,,»\$%£### ###£%$\»,,
,,»\$%#### ####%$\»,,