&*\~,..... .....,~\*&
*\~,...... ......,~\*
\~,....... .......,~\
~,........ ........,~
,......... .........,
.......... ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... ..........
,......... .,\ 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..... ,~. .,~\*&¤###
##¤&*\~,.. ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... ..,~\*&¤##
#¤&*\~,... ...,~\*&¤#
¤&*\~,.... ....,~\*&¤
&*\~,..... .....,~\*&
*\~,...... ......,~\*
\~,....... .......,~\