,,~:$§#### ####§$:~,,
,,,,,~%$§# #§$%~,,,,,
,,~:%$§### ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,,,,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,,,, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,,: THE SPIRE ~:, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~:,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:~, ###§$%:~,,
,,,,,::$$§ :~, ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A :,~ §$$::,,,,,
,,~:%$§### :,~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ,:~ ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,:~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ,~: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,~: CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~,: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~,: LIKED A MUSHROOM. ~:, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~:, WE LOVED IT DEARLY. :~, ###§$%:~,,
,,,,,,,~%§ :~,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:,~ §%~,,,,,,,
,,~:%$§### :,~ IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, ,:~ ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§§§# ,:~ AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ,~: #§§§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,~: BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS ~,: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§§## ~,: HOLLOW BODY FOR MANY STRANGE ~:, ##§§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~:, PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE OF :~, ###§$%:~,,
,,,,,::%§# :~, 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. :,~ §%~,,,,,,,
,,,,,:$$$§ :~, AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS ,:~ §$$$:,,,,,
,,~:%$§### :,~ CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A ,~: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,:~ TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN ~,: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,~: US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR ~:, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§§§# ~,: JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. :~, #§§§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~:,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:,~ ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### :~, BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE ,:~ ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### :,~ NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE ,~: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,:~ SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE ~,: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,~: MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO ~:, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~,: DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. :~, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~:, FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF :,~ ###§$%:~,,
,,,,,,,:$# :~, TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ,:~ #$:,,,,,,,
,,~:%$§### :,~ OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A ,~: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$#### ,:~ FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. ~,: ####$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~,: IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY :~, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~:, SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES :,~ ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### :~, IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ,:~ ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,,~ CARS..... ,~, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,,,,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,,,, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§§§# #§§§$%:~,,
,~:%$§#### ####§$%:~,
,,~:%$§§## ##§§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ###§$%:~,,