=~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~=
*=~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~=*
&*=~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~=*&
@&*=~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~=*&@
#@&*=~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~=*&@#
##@&*=~:¨¨ ¨¨¨:::============================:::¨¨¨ ¨¨:~=*&@##
###@&*=~:¨ ¨:= 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..... :~¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:::============================:::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
=~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~=
*=~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~=*
&*=~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~=*&
@&*=~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~=*&@
#@&*=~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~=*&@#