@§§%^,,,,, ,,,,,^%§§@
@@§§%^^=,, ,,=^^%§§@@
§%%%^^^=,, ,,=^^^%%%§
@@§^^,,,,, ,,,,,^^§@@
@§^^^^^=,, ,,=^^^^^§@
#@@§%^^=,, ,,,,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,,,, ,,=^^%§@@#
§%^^=,,,,, ,,^ 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..... ,=, ,,=^^%@@##
##@@§%^^=, ,,,,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,,,, ,=^^%§@@##
@@@§%^^=,, ,,=^^%§@@@
#@@§%^^=,, ,,=^^%§@@#
§§^^==,,,, ,,,,==^^§§
#@@§%^^=,, ,,=^^%§@@#
§^^^===,,, ,,,===^^^§