¨,~=^^^*## ##*^^^=~,¨
¨,~=^*#### ####*^=~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~^# #^~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~=^*#### ####*^=~,¨
¨,~=^*#### ####*^=~,¨
¨,~=^##### ¨¨¨,,,============================,,,¨¨¨ #####^=~,¨
¨¨¨¨~==^^# ¨,= 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..... ,~¨ ####*^=~,¨
¨,~=^*#### ¨¨¨,,,============================,,,¨¨¨ ####*^=~,¨
¨,~=^*#### ####*^=~,¨
¨¨¨¨~==*## ##*==~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,,=*## ##*=,,¨¨¨¨
¨,~=^*#### ####*^=~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=^*# #*^=~¨¨¨¨¨