,,,,,,,~«†                                          †«~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~«                                          «~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~«†                                          †«~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~«†%                                          %†«~,,,,,,
,,,,,~«†%%                                          %%†«~,,,,,
,,,,~«†%%# ,,,~~~††††††††††††††††††††††††††††~~~,,, #%%†«~,,,,
,,,~«†%%## ,~†            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.....             ~«, †«~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~«†% ,,,~~~††††††††††††††††††††††††††††~~~,,, %†«~,,,,,,
,,,,,~«†%%                                          %%†«~,,,,,
,,,,~«†%%#                                          #%%†«~,,,,
,,,~«†%%##                                          ##%%†«~,,,
,,~«†%%##@                                          @##%%†«~,,
,~«†%%##@#                                          #@##%%†«~,