¨¨^^==*£§# #§£*==^^¨¨
¨^=**£§§§§ §§§§£**=^¨
¨¨¨^^*£§§§ §§§£*^^¨¨¨
¨^=**£§### ###§£**=^¨
¨^=**£§### ###§£**=^¨
¨^=**£§### ¨¨¨^^^****************************^^^¨¨¨ ###§£**=^¨
¨^=**£§### ¨^* 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..... ^=¨ §£*==^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^^***£# ¨¨¨^^^****************************^^^¨¨¨ #£***^^¨¨¨
¨^=**£§### ###§£**=^¨
¨^=**£§### ###§£**=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^*££§ §££*^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^=**£§ §£**=^¨¨¨¨
¨^=**£££§§ §§£££**=^¨