.§...§§.§.                                          ..§.§.§.§.
..§..§§..§                                          .........§
§..§.§§§..                                          §.........
.§...§.§§.                                          §§........
..§....§§§                                          .§§.......
...§...§.§ ...~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~... .§§§......
....§....§ .~\            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.....            ~«. §§§..§....
..§§§..... ...~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~... §.§§..§...
..§.§§....                                          ..§§§..§..
....§§§...                                          ..§.§§..§.
....§.§§..                                          ....§§§..§
§.....§§§.                                          §...§.§§..
.§....§.§§                                          .§....§§§.