,,,.-††$## ##$††-.,,,
,.-\†$§@## ##@§$†\-.,
,.-\†$§#@# #@#§$†\-.,
,,.--\$$§# #§$$\--.,,
,,,,,,-†§@ @§†-,,,,,,
,.-\†$§#@# ,,,...\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\...,,, #@#§$†\-.,
,,,.\††$§§ ,.\ THE SPIRE -\, §§$††\.,,,
,.-†$§#@## -\.----------------------------------\-. ##@#§$†-.,
,,,,.\\†§# \-. ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A \.- #§†\\.,,,,
.-\†$§#@## \.- BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL .\- ##@#§$†\-.
,.-\†$§#@# .\- ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS .-\ #@#§$†\-.,
,.-\†$§#@# .-\ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED -.\ #@#§$†\-.,
,.-\†$§#@# -.\ LIKED A MUSHROOM. -\. #@#§$†\-.,
,,,,.-\$§# -\. WE LOVED IT DEARLY. \-. #§$\-.,,,,
,.-\†$$§§# \-.----------------------------------\.- #§§$$†\-.,
,.-\†$§#@# \.- IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, .\- #@#§$†\-.,
,,,,,.-\†§ .\- AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL .-\ §†\-.,,,,,
,.-\\\†$$§ .-\ 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 \.- @§§$$†\-.,
,.-\†$§§#@ \-. TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED .\- @#§§$†\-.,
,.-\†$§#@# \.- OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A .-\ #@#§$†\-.,
,.-\†$§#@@ .\- FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. -.\ @@#§$†\-.,
,,,,,,-\$# .-\-----------------------------------\. #$\-,,,,,,
,.--\†$§## -.\ IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY \-. ##§$†\--.,
,,,.-\\††§ -\. SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES \.- §††\\-.,,,
,,,.-\\†§§ \-. IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT .\- §§†\\-.,,,
,,,,..\†$# ,.- CARS..... .-, #$†\..,,,,
,.-\\†$§#@ ,,,...\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\...,,, @#§$†\\-.,
,,,,,,-\$# #$\-,,,,,,
,.-\†$§#@@ @@#§$†\-.,
,.-\†$$$#@ @#$$$†\-.,
,.-\†$§### ###§$†\-.,
,.-\\\†§#@ @#§†\\\-.,