¨¨¨¨¨§¨§¨¨ §¨§§§¨¨¨§§
§¨¨¨¨§§§§¨ §§§¨¨§¨¨§¨
§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨§ §¨¨§¨§§¨§§
¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨§ ¨§¨§§§¨§§¨
¨¨§§¨§¨§¨§ §§§§¨¨§§¨§
§¨§¨§§§§§§ ¨¨¨:::////////////////////////////:::¨¨¨ §¨¨¨§¨§¨§§
¨§§§§¨¨¨¨¨ ¨:/ 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..... :~¨ ¨¨§¨§§¨¨§§
¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§§ ¨¨¨:::////////////////////////////:::¨¨¨ ¨¨§§§¨§¨§¨
¨§§¨§§¨¨§¨ §¨§¨¨§§§§§
§§¨§§¨§¨§§ §§§§¨§¨¨¨¨
§¨§§¨§§§§¨ ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
§§§¨§§¨¨¨§ §¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
§¨¨§§¨§¨¨§ ¨§¨¨§§¨§§¨