¨¨¨¨¨¨#¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨#
¨####¨¨¨## ########¨¨
¨¨##¨¨#¨¨# #######¨¨#
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨#####¨¨¨¨
#########¨ ¨¨###¨¨###
########¨¨ ¨¨¨,,,††††††††††††††††††††††††††††,,,¨¨¨ #¨¨#¨¨¨¨##
#######¨¨# ¨,† 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..... ,~¨ ##########
########## ¨¨¨,,,††††††††††††††††††††††††††††,,,¨¨¨ ##########
########## ##########
########## ##########
########## ##########
########## ##########
########## ##########