£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
$$:«:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:«:$$
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
##¶£$$:«:¨ ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ ¨:«:$$£¶##
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ ¨:: THE SPIRE «:¨ ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ «::««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:«: ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ :«: ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A ::« ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
$$:«:¨¨¨¨¨ ::« BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ::« ¨¨¨¨¨:«:$$
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ::« ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS :«: ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ :«: CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED «:: ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ «:: LIKED A MUSHROOM. «:: ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
##¶£$$:«:¨ «:: WE LOVED IT DEARLY. :«: ¨:«:$$£¶##
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ :«:««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««::« ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ ::« IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, ::« ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ::« AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL :«: ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
$$:«:¨¨¨¨¨ :«: BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS «:: ¨¨¨¨¨:«:$$
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ «:: HOLLOW BODY FOR MANY STRANGE «:: ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ «:: PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE OF :«: ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ :«: GESTATION, A STORAGE OF STRAGE ::« ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
##¶£$$:«:¨ ::« FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF ::« ¨:«:$$£¶##
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ ::« ARCANE DEITY. :«: ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ :«:«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:: ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ «:: WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS «:: ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
$$:«:¨¨¨¨¨ «:: PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE :«: ¨¨¨¨¨:«:$$
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ :«: ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY ::« ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ ¨:« BREAKING IN. :«¨ ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
##¶£$$:«:¨ ¨:«:$$£¶##
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ¨«: THIS PLACE WE CALLED OUR CITY: ::« ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
$$:«:¨¨¨¨¨ ::« WAVY AND FRACTURED, WITH EACH ::« ¨¨¨¨¨:«:$$
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ::« COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, :«: ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ :«: ROADS BECOMING ROOFS BECOMING «:: ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ «:: DRAINS. AND SOME PLACES, LIKE «:: ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
##¶£$$:«:¨ «:: THE SPIRE, NOBODY HAD ACCESSED :«: ¨:«:$$£¶##
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ :«: FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS ::« ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ ::« ARE JUST TOO HIGH, AND THE ::« ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ::« INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, :«: ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
$$:«:¨¨¨¨¨ :«: A PLACE AMONG OTHERS IS EASILY «:: ¨¨¨¨¨:«:$$
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ «:: OVERLOOKED. :«: ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ :«:««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««::« ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ ::« SO, BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER THE ::« ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
##¶£$$:«:¨ ::« FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND «:: ¨:«:$$£¶##
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ :«: CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR «:: ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ «:: A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND «:: ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ «:: PLAY MUSIC ON OUR HANDHELDS. :«: ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
$$:«:¨¨¨¨¨ :«: INSTEAD WE FOUND VAST LUNGS ::« ¨¨¨¨¨:«:$$
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ::« DRAINED OF THEIR CATALYST ::« ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ ::« SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO :«: ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ :«: MAKE SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR «:: ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
##¶£$$:«:¨ «:: YEARS TO COME. «:: ¨:«:$$£¶##
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ «::««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:«: ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ :«: A CENTRAL SPINE, A STAIRCASE ::« ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ::« AROUND IT, THE SEVEN TOROIDAL ::« ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
$$:«:¨¨¨¨¨ ::« LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE, AND THE :«: ¨¨¨¨¨:«:$$
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ :«: CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS «:: ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ «:: FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES «:: ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ «:: FOR RADIATING CONSCIOUSNESS :«: ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
##¶£$$:«:¨ ¨«: INVITATIONS. ::¨ ¨:«:$$£¶##
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
$$:«:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨:: IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS :«: ¨¨¨¨¨:«:$$
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ «:: TOPPLED AND EATEN BY MACHINES. ::« ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ :«: AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS ::« ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ ::« CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A :«: ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
##¶£$$:«:¨ ::« TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN «:: ¨:«:$$£¶##
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ :«: US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR «:: ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ «:: JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. :«: ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ «::««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««::« ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
$$:«:¨¨¨¨¨ :«: BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE ::« ¨¨¨¨¨:«:$$
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ::« NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE :«: ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ ::« SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE «:: ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ :«: MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO «:: ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
##¶£$$:«:¨ «:: DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. :«: ¨:«:$$£¶##
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ «:: FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF ::« ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ :«: TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ::« ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ::« OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A :«: ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
$$:«:¨¨¨¨¨ ::« FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. «:: ¨¨¨¨¨:«:$$
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ :«:«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:: ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ «:: IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY :«: ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ «:: SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES ::« ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
##¶£$$:«:¨ :«: IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ::« ¨:«:$$£¶##
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ ¨:« CARS..... :«¨ ¨¨:«:$$£¶#
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
$$:«:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:«:$$
£$$:«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«:$$£
¶£$$:«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«:$$£¶
#¶£$$:«:¨¨ ¨¨:«:$$£¶#