#£@*\~-,,, ,,,-~\*@£#
##£@*\~-,, ,,-~\*@£##
###£@*\~-, ,-~\*@£###
##£@*\~-,, ,,-~\*@£##
#£@*\~-,,, ,,,-~\*@£#
£@*\~-,,,, ,,,---\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\---,,, ,,,,-~\*@£
@*\~-,,,,, ,-\ 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..... -~, ,-~\*@£###
##£@*\~-,, ,,,---\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\---,,, ,,-~\*@£##
#£@*\~-,,, ,,,-~\*@£#
£@*\~-,,,, ,,,,-~\*@£
@*\~-,,,,, ,,,,,-~\*@
*\~-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-~\*
\~-,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,-~\