,,,^^^^†@§                                          §@†^^^^,,,
,^«†^@§@##                                          ##@§@^†«^,
,^«†^@§@##                                          ##@§@^†«^,
,^«†^@§@@@                                          @@@§@^†«^,
,^«††††^§§                                          §§^††††«^,
,,,,,^«†^§ ,,,^^^††††††††††††††††††††††††††††^^^,,, §^†«^,,,,,
,^«†^@§§§§ ,^†            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.....             ^«, @§@@†††«^,
,^«†^^^^§@ ,,,^^^††††††††††††††††††††††††††††^^^,,, @§^^^^†«^,
,^«†^@§@@#                                          #@@§@^†«^,
,^«†^@§@@@                                          @@@§@^†«^,
,,,^^^^†^§                                          §^†^^^^,,,
,,,,^†^@§@                                          @§@^†^,,,,
,,,^†^@@@@                                          @@@@^†^,,,