§§§§,§§,,,                                          §,§,,§§§§§
,,,,§§,§,,                                          §§§§,§,,,,
,,,,§,§§§,                                          ,,,,§§§,,,
,,,,§§§,,§                                          ,,,,§,,§,,
,,,,§,,§,§                                          §,,,§§,§§,
,,,,§§,§§§ ,,,,,,††††††††††††††††††††††††††††,,,,,, §§,,§,§§,§
§,,,§,§§,, ,,†            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.....            ,=, §§§,§,,,,§
§§,,,§§,§§ ,,,,,,††††††††††††††††††††††††††††,,,,,, §,,§§§,,,§
,,§,,§,§§,                                          ,§,§,,§,,§
§,§§,§§§,§                                          ,§§§§,§§,§
,§§,§§,,§§                                          ,§,,,§§,§§
§§,§§,§,§,                                          ,§§,,§,§§,
§,§§,§§§§§                                          §§,§,§§§,§