¨¨,,^*$&¶¶                                          ¶¶&$*^,,¨¨
¨,~^*$&¶##                                          ##¶&$*^~,¨
¨,~^*$&¶##                                          ##¶&$*^~,¨
¨,~^*$&¶##                                          ##¶&$*^~,¨
¨,~^*$&¶##                                          ##¶&$*^~,¨
¨,~^*$&¶## ¨¨¨,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,¨¨¨ ##¶&$*^~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~*$¶ ¨,^            THE  SPIRE            ~^¨ ¶$*~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~^*$&¶## ~^,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^~, ##¶&$*^~,¨
¨,~^*$&¶## ^~, ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    ^,~ ##¶&$*^~,¨
¨,~^*$&¶## ^,~ BENEVOLENT  SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ,^~ ##¶&$*^~,¨
¨,~^*$&¶## ,^~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST  TREES. IT WAS ,~^ ##¶&$*^~,¨
¨¨¨,^*$&&# ,~^ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~,^ #&&$*^,¨¨¨
¨,~^*$&¶¶¶ ~,^       LIKED   A   MUSHROOM.      ~^, ¶¶¶&$*^~,¨
¨,~^*$&¶## ~^,      WE  LOVED  IT  DEARLY.      ^~, ##¶&$*^~,¨
¨,,,~~*&¶¶ ^~,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^,~ ¶¶&*~~,,,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~*$& ^,~  IT PREDATED US  BY MANY  YEARS, ,^~ &$*~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~^^***&¶ ,^~ 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.....            ,~¨ #&&*~~~,,¨
¨,~^*$&¶## ¨¨¨,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,¨¨¨ ##¶&$*^~,¨
¨,~^*$$$¶#                                          #¶$$$*^~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,^$&#                                          #&$^,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,^$&¶#                                          #¶&$^,¨¨¨¨
¨,,,,,,^$&                                          &$^,,,,,,¨
¨,,,,,^**&                                          &**^,,,,,¨