¨¨§§¨§§¨§¨ §§¨¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨§§¨§§§ ¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨¨
¨¨§§§¨§§¨¨ §¨§§§§§§¨¨
¨¨§¨¨§§¨§¨ ¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨§§¨§¨§§§ §§¨§¨¨¨¨§§
§¨§¨§§§§¨¨ ¨¨¨---::::::::::::::::::::::::::::---¨¨¨ §¨§§§¨¨¨§¨
§§§§§¨¨¨§¨ ¨-: 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..... -~¨ ¨¨§¨§¨¨§¨§
§¨¨¨§¨¨§§¨ ¨¨¨---::::::::::::::::::::::::::::---¨¨¨ §¨§§§§¨§§§
¨§¨¨§§¨§¨§ ¨§§¨¨¨§§¨¨
¨§§¨§¨§§§§ ¨§¨§¨¨§¨§¨
¨§¨§§§§¨¨¨ §§§§§¨§§§§
§§§§¨¨¨§¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨§§¨¨¨
§¨¨¨§¨¨§§¨ §¨¨¨¨§¨§¨¨