##¤%*:«~..                                          ..~«:*%¤##
###¤%*:«~.                                          .~«:*%¤###
##¤%*:«~..                                          ..~«:*%¤##
#¤%*:«~...                                          ...~«:*%¤#
¤%*:«~....                                          ....~«:*%¤
%*:«~..... ...~~~::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~~~... .....~«:*%
*:«~...... .~:            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.....            ~«. ..........
.......... ...~~~::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~~~... ..........
..........                                          ..........
~.........                                          .........~
«~........                                          ........~«
:«~.......                                          .......~«:
*:«~......                                          ......~«:*