@§%~~~.... ....~~~%§@
#@#§*%^~~. .~~^%*§#@#
@§§*^~.... ....~^*§§@
@#§%~~.... ....~~%§#@
#@#§*%^~~. .~~^%*§#@#
#@#§*%^~~. ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... .~~^%*§#@#
§*^^~..... .~^ 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..... ~~. ....~^*§##
###§*%^~~. ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... .~~^%*§###
#@#§*%^~~. .~~^%*§#@#
#@#§*%^~~. .~~^%*§#@#
§%~~~..... .....~~~%§
§§%^~~~... ...~~~^%§§
#*%%~..... .....~%%*#