¨¨&¨&¨&¨&¨ ¨¨¨&¨¨&¨¨¨
¨&&&&&&&&¨ ¨¨&&¨&&¨¨¨
&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨ ¨&¨&&¨&¨¨¨
&¨¨¨¨¨¨&&¨ &&&¨&&&¨¨&
&¨¨¨¨¨&¨&& ¨¨&&¨¨&¨&¨
&¨¨¨¨&&&¨& ¨¨¨...††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...¨¨¨ ¨&¨&¨&&&&&
&¨¨¨&¨¨&&& ¨.† 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..... .«¨ &¨¨&¨¨&&¨¨
¨&¨&&¨¨¨&¨ ¨¨¨...††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...¨¨¨ &¨&&¨&¨&¨&
&&&¨&¨¨&&¨ &&¨&&&&&&&
¨¨&&&¨&¨&& ¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨&¨¨&&&&¨& &¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
&&¨&¨¨¨&&& &&&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨&&&¨¨&¨¨¨ ¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨&