,-~*$$&### ###&$$*~-,
,-~*$$&### ###&$$*~-,
,-~*$$&### ###&$$*~-,
,,,,,~*$&& &&$*~,,,,,
,,,-~***$& &$***~-,,,
,-~*$$&### ,,,---****************************---,,, ###&$$*~-,
,,,,~$$$$& ,-* THE SPIRE ~*, &$$$$~,,,,
,---**$&&# ~*-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~- #&&$**---,
,-~*$$&### *~- 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 -*~ ####$$*~-,
,,,,,~**$# ,-~ CARS..... -~, #$**~,,,,,
,-~*$$#### ,,,---****************************---,,, ####$$*~-,
,,,,-*$&&# #&&$*-,,,,
,-~*$$&### ###&$$*~-,
,,,,~~*$$# #$$*~~,,,,
,-~*$$&### ###&$$*~-,
,-~*$$&### ###&$$*~-,