¨^~/*$&&&&                                          &&&&$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$&&&@                                          @&&&$*/~^¨
¨^~~~//$&@                                          @&$//~~~^¨
¨^~/*$&@##                                          ##@&$*/~^¨
¨¨^^~**&&@                                          @&&**~^^¨¨
¨¨¨~~*$&&& ¨¨¨^^^////////////////////////////^^^¨¨¨ &&&$*~~¨¨¨
¨^~/*$&@@# ¨^/            THE  SPIRE            ~/¨ #@@&$*/~^¨
¨¨¨^~**&@@ ~/^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/~^ @@&**~^¨¨¨
¨^~/*$&@@@ /~^ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    /^~ @@@&$*/~^¨
¨^~////*&@ /^~ 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  /^~ @&&**/~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~/$&&@ /~^ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ^/~ @&&$/~¨¨¨¨
¨^/*$&@@## /^~ OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A  ^~/ ##@@&$*/^¨
¨^~/*$&@@@ ^/~  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  ~^/ @@@&$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$&@## ^~/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/^ ##@&$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$&@@@ ~^/  IIRC  IT'S  CURRENTLY  OWNED BY /~^ @@@&$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$&@@# ~/^ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES /^~ #@@&$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$&@@# /~^ IT TO HOLD ALL  HIS FOURTY EIGHT ^/~ #@@&$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$&@@# ¨^~            CARS.....             ^~¨ #@@&$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$&@@# ¨¨¨^^^////////////////////////////^^^¨¨¨ #@@&$*/~^¨
¨^~/*$&@@@                                          @@@&$*/~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~*&                                          &*~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~/****&@                                          @&****/~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~**&@                                          @&**~¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~/*$&@@@                                          @@@&$*/~^¨