.,«^=$§¶## ##¶§$=^«,.
..,«^=$§¶# #¶§$=^«,..
...,«^=$§¶ ¶§$=^«,...
....,«^=$§ §$=^«,....
.....,«^=$ $=^«,.....
....,«^=$§ ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... §$=^«,....
...,«^=$§¶ .,^ 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..... ,«. ¶§$=^«,...
..,«^=$§¶# ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... #¶§$=^«,..
.,«^=$§¶## ##¶§$=^«,.
..,«^=$§¶# #¶§$=^«,..
...,«^=$§¶ ¶§$=^«,...
....,«^=$§ §$=^«,....
.....,«^=$ $=^«,.....