####*§^«~¨                                          ¨~«^§*####
####*§^«~¨                                          ¨~«^§*####
####*§^«~¨                                          ¨~«^§*####
####*§^«~¨                                          ¨~«^§*####
##§§««¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨««§§##
####*§^«~¨ ¨¨¨~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~¨¨¨ ¨~«^§*####
####*§^«~¨ ¨~^            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.....             ~«¨ ¨¨¨¨««§###
####*§^«~¨ ¨¨¨~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~¨¨¨ ¨~«^§*####
###**§^«~¨                                          ¨~«^§**###
##*^^~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~^^*##
####*§^«~¨                                          ¨~«^§*####
#####*§^«~                                          ~«^§*#####
#*§^^«~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~«^^§*#