¨^~:*$##@#                                          #@##$*:~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~:$##                                          ##$:~¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~:*$####                                          ####$*:~^¨
¨^~:*$##@#                                          #@##$*:~^¨
¨^~:*##@##                                          ##@##*:~^¨
¨^~:*$##@# ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ #@##$*:~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~*##@ ¨^:            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 ^~: @##**~~~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~:*$# ^:~  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  ~^: #$*:~¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~::::$$# ^~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:^ #$$::::~^¨
¨¨¨¨^~:$## ~^:  IIRC  IT'S  CURRENTLY OWNED  BY :~^ ##$:~^¨¨¨¨
¨^~:*$##@# ~:^ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES :^~ #@##$*:~^¨
¨^~:*$###@ :~^  IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ^:~ @###$*:~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~:*$# ¨^~             CARS.....            ^~¨ #$*:~¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~:*$##@# ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ #@##$*:~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~*#                                          #*~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~:*##@##                                          ##@##*:~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~*###                                          ###*~¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~:*$#@##                                          ##@#$*:~^¨
¨^~:*$##@#                                          #@##$*:~^¨