¨^«\$%#¶@# #@¶#%$\«^¨
¨¨¨¨^«$$#@ @#$$«^¨¨¨¨
¨^«\$%###¶ ¶###%$\«^¨
¨¨¨¨«\%%## ##%%\«¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«\%#¶ ¶#%\«^¨¨¨¨
¨^^^\\\%¶@ ¨¨¨^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^¨¨¨ @¶%\\\^^^¨
¨^«\$%#¶## ¨^\ The Spire «\¨ ##¶#%$\«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨«$$$# «\^««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««\«^ #$$$«¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^\$$#¶ \«^ 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..... ^«¨ @@¶#%$\«^¨
¨¨¨¨«\$%#¶ ¨¨¨^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^¨¨¨ ¶#%$\«¨¨¨¨
¨^«\$%¶@## ##@¶%$\«^¨
¨^«\$%#¶@# #@¶#%$\«^¨
¨^«\$%#¶@# #@¶#%$\«^¨
¨^«\$%#¶@@ @@¶#%$\«^¨
¨^«\$%#¶@# #@¶#%$\«^¨