....£..£.. ..£..£££..
....££.££. £.££.£..£.
....£.££.£ £££.£££.££
£...£££.££ £..££..££.
££..£..££. .£.£.£.£.£
..£.££.£.£ ...:::////////////////////////////:::... .£££££££££
£.£££.££££ .:/ 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..... :-. .££....£££
.£.£..£..£ ...:::////////////////////////////:::... .£.£...£..
.££££.££.£ £££££..££.
.£...££.££ £....£.£.£
£££..£.££. .£...£££££
...£.£££.£ £££..£....
...£££..££ £..£.££...