,,,,,=§§¤# #¤§§=,,,,,
,,,,=*§¤¤# #¤¤§*=,,,,
,,=*§&¤### ###¤&§*=,,
,,,,,=§¤## ##¤§=,,,,,
,,,,,,,=§¤ ¤§=,,,,,,,
,,,,,=§§¤# ,,,,,,****************************,,,,,, #¤§§=,,,,,
,,=*§&¤### ,,* 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..... ,=, ¤§=,,,,,,,
,,,,,==* ,,,,,,****************************,,,,,, #&*==,,,,,
,,=*§&¤### ###¤&§*=,,
,,=*§&¤### ###¤&§*=,,
,,,,,,=§¤# #¤§=,,,,,,
,,=*§&¤### ###¤&§*=,,
,,=*§&¤### ###¤&§*=,,