¤§§§~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~§§§¤
##¶¤%§:~^¨                                          ¨^~:§%¤¶##
¤¤¤%%§:~^¨                                          ¨^~:§%%¤¤¤
¤%%:::^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^:::%%¤
¶¤¤%%§:~^¨                                          ¨^~:§%%¤¤¶
¤¤%:^^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^^:%¤¤
¤%::^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨^:            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.....            ^~¨ ¨^~:§%¤¶##
###¶¤§:~^¨ ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ ¨^~:§¤¶###
¶¤%§~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~§%¤¶
¤¤¤§::~~^¨                                          ¨^~~::§¤¤¤
#¶¤¤%§:~^¨                                          ¨^~:§%¤¤¶#
##¶¤%§:~^¨                                          ¨^~:§%¤¶##
#¶%%%§:~^¨                                          ¨^~:§%%%¶#