§¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨
§¨§§¨§¨§¨¨                                          §§¨¨§§§§¨§
§§¨§§§§§¨¨                                          ¨§¨§¨¨¨§§¨
¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨                                          §§§§¨¨§¨§§
§¨§¨¨¨§§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨§§§¨§
§§§¨¨§¨§¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨§§§¨¨§§¨
¨¨§¨§§§§¨§ ¨^^            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.....            ^~¨ §§§¨§¨¨§§¨
¨§§¨§§§¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨§§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨§§§§§¨
§§¨§¨§§¨¨§                                          §§¨§¨¨¨¨§§
¨§§§§¨§¨§§                                          ¨§§§¨¨¨§¨¨
§¨¨¨§§§§¨§                                          §¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨
§¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨                                          §¨§§¨§¨§¨§