£§§$$^«...                                          ...«^$$§§£
£§§$«.....                                          .....«$§§£
#@£§&$^«,.                                          .,«^$&§£@#
@@£§&$^«,.                                          .,«^$&§£@@
§§&^«,....                                          ....,«^&§§
##£§&$^«,. ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... .,«^$&§£##
#@£§&$^«,. .,^            THE  SPIRE            «^. .,«^$&§£@#
§&&$«,,... «^,««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««^«, ...,,«$&&§
£§&^,..... ^«, 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 ^,« .....««^&§
§&&$$$^«,. ^«, TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ,^« .,«^$$$&&§
@£&$$$^«,. ^,« OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A  ,«^ .,«^$$$&£@
#@£§&$^«,. ,^«  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  «,^ .,«^$&§£@#
£§§&&$^«,. ,«^«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««^, .,«^$&&§§£
@£§§&$^«,. «,^  IIRC  IT'S CURRENTLY  OWNED BY  ^«, .,«^$&§§£@
#@£§&$^«,. «^, SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES ^,« .,«^$&§£@#
#@£§&$^«,. ^«, IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY  EIGHT ,^« .,«^$&§£@#
#@£§&$^«,. .,«            CARS.....             ,«. .,«^$&§£@#
£££§&$^«,. ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... .,«^$&§£££
#@£§&$^«,.                                          .,«^$&§£@#
##@£§&$«,.                                          .,«$&§£@##
@@£§&$^«,.                                          .,«^$&§£@@
££§&$«,...                                          ...,«$&§££
£&$«,,....                                          ....,,«$&£