#¶#£*^-~.. ..~-^*£#¶#
##¶#£*^-~. .~-^*£#¶##
###¶#£*^-~ ~-^*£#¶###
##¶#£*^-~. .~-^*£#¶##
#¶#£*^-~.. ..~-^*£#¶#
¶#£*^-~... ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... ...~-^*£#¶
#£*^-~.... .~^ 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..... ~-. ..........
.......... ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... ..........
.......... ..........
~......... .........~
-~........ ........~-
^-~....... .......~-^
*^-~...... ......~-^*