¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨ ¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨
&&&¨¨¨&&&& ¨¨¨&&&&¨¨¨
¨&¨¨&¨¨&&& ¨&¨¨&&¨¨&¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
&&&&&&&¨¨¨ &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&¨¨&¨ ¨¨¨~~~============================~~~¨¨¨ &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&¨¨¨¨¨ ¨~= 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..... ~«¨ &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& ¨¨¨~~~============================~~~¨¨¨ &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&