##§£%:~^..                                          ..^~:%£§##
###§£%:~^.                                          .^~:%£§###
##§£%:~^..                                          ..^~:%£§##
#§£%:~^...                                          ...^~:%£§#
§£%:~^....                                          ....^~:%£§
£%:~^..... ...^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^... .....^~:%£
%:~^...... .^:            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.....             ^~. ......^~:%
£%:~^..... ...^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^... .....^~:%£
§£%:~^....                                          ....^~:%£§
#§£%:~^...                                          ...^~:%£§#
##§£%:~^..                                          ..^~:%£§##
###§£%:~^.                                          .^~:%£§###
##§£%:~^..                                          ..^~:%£§##