###&£$\»,. .,»\$£##
####&£$\», ,»\$£###
&££\,..... .....,\££&
###&£$\»,. .,»\$£##
#&&&£$\»,. .,»\$£&&
###&£$\»,. ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... .,»\$£##
###&£$\»,. .,\ 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 \,» .,»\$£&#
#&$»»..... \», IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ,\» .....»»$
###&£$\»,. .,» CARS..... ,». .,»\$£##
###&£$\»,. ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... .,»\$£##
#&££\\»... ...»\\££
###&£$\»,. .,»\$£##
&&&£$».... ....»$£&&&
&££\»..... .....»\££&
###&£$\»,. .,»\$£##