#@£§*=~^.. ..^~=*§£@#
@£§*=~^... ...^~=*§£@
£§*=~^.... ....^~=*§£
§*=~^..... .....^~=*§
*=~^...... ......^~=*
=~^....... ...^^^============================^^^... .......^~=
*=~^...... .^= 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..... ^~. ....^~=*§£
§*=~^..... ...^^^============================^^^... .....^~=*§
*=~^...... ......^~=*
=~^....... .......^~=
*=~^...... ......^~=*
§*=~^..... .....^~=*§
£§*=~^.... ....^~=*§£