&&&&,&,,,& &&&&&&,,&,
&,,,&&&,,& ,,,,,,&,&&
,&,,&,,&,& ,,,,,,&&&,
,&&,&&,&&& &,,,,,&,,&
&&,&&,&&,, &&,,,,&&,&
,,&&,&&,&, ,,,...\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\...,,, ,,&,,,&,&&
&,&,&&,&&& ,.\ 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..... .-, &,,,,,&&,&
&,&&,,,,&, ,,,...\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\...,,, &&,,,,&,&&
,&&,&,,,&& ,,&,,,&&&,
,&,&&&,,&, ,,&&,,&,,&
&&&&,,&,&& ,,&,&,&&,&
,,,,&,&&&, &,&&&&&,&&
&,,,&&&,,& &&&,,,,&&,