¨.=†^^^^¤#                                          #¤^^^^†=.¨
¨¨¨¨.=^^^¤                                          ¤^^^=.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨===†%¤#                                          #¤%†===¨¨¨
¨.=††^%¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤%^††=.¨
.=†^%¤####                                          ####¤%^†=.
¨¨¨¨¨.†^%¤ ¨¨¨...††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...¨¨¨ ¤%^†.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨..=^¤¤# ¨.†            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.....             .=¨ #¤^^††==.¨
¨.=†^%%¤## ¨¨¨...††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...¨¨¨ ##¤%%^†=.¨
¨..=†^%%¤¤                                          ¤¤%%^†=..¨
¨¨¨¨¨.†^^¤                                          ¤^^†.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨===^¤                                          ¤^===¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.†%¤¤                                          ¤¤%†.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.=†^%¤###                                          ###¤%^†=.¨