«~........ ........~«
/«~....... .......~«/
*/«~...... ......~«/*
%*/«~..... .....~«/*%
&%*/«~.... ....~«/*%&
#&%*/«~... ...~~~////////////////////////////~~~... ...~«/*%&#
##&%*/«~.. .~/ 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..... ~«. ........~«
~......... ...~~~////////////////////////////~~~... .........~
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........