¨^«†%@#@@@                                          @@@#@%†«^¨
¨^«†%@#@##                                          ##@#@%†«^¨
¨^«†%@#@@#                                          #@@#@%†«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨«†@@#                                          #@@†«¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«†%@#@##                                          ##@#@%†«^¨
¨^«†%@#@## ¨¨¨^^^††††††††††††††††††††††††††††^^^¨¨¨ ##@#@%†«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^«%@# ¨^†            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.....            ^«¨ ##@†«¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«†%@#### ¨¨¨^^^††††††††††††††††††††††††††††^^^¨¨¨ ####@%†«^¨
¨¨¨¨^†%%@#                                          #@%%†^¨¨¨¨
¨^«†%@#@##                                          ##@#@%†«^¨
¨^«†%@#@##                                          ##@#@%†«^¨
¨^«†%@#@##                                          ##@#@%†«^¨
¨^«†%@#@##                                          ##@#@%†«^¨