¨¨.«=^%&#@                                          @#&%^=«.¨¨
¨.«=^%&#@#                                          #@#&%^=«.¨
¨¨.«=^%&#@                                          @#&%^=«.¨¨
¨¨¨.«=^%&#                                          #&%^=«.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.«=^%&                                          &%^=«.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.«=^%&# ¨¨¨...============================...¨¨¨ #&%^=«.¨¨¨
¨¨.«=^%&#@ ¨.=            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.....            .«¨ @#&%^=«.¨¨
¨¨¨.«=^%&# ¨¨¨...============================...¨¨¨ #&%^=«.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.«=^%&                                          &%^=«.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.«=^%&#                                          #&%^=«.¨¨¨
¨¨.«=^%&#@                                          @#&%^=«.¨¨
¨.«=^%&#@#                                          #@#&%^=«.¨
¨¨.«=^%&#@                                          @#&%^=«.¨¨