,,,,,^-^^@ @^^-^,,,,,
,,,,^-^^@£ £@^^-^,,,,
,,,^-^^@£@ @£@^^-^,,,
,,^-^^@£@# #@£@^^-^,,
,^-^^@£@## ##@£@^^-^,
,,^-^^@£@# ,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,, #@£@^^-^,,
,,,^-^^@£@ ,^^ 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..... ^-, @£@^^-^,,,
,,,,^-^^@£ ,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,, £@^^-^,,,,
,,,,,^-^^@ @^^-^,,,,,
,,,,,,^-^^ ^^-^,,,,,,
,,,,,^-^^@ @^^-^,,,,,
,,,,^-^^@£ £@^^-^,,,,
,,,^-^^@£@ @£@^^-^,,,