£§%^~:....                                          ....:~^%§£
§%^~:.....                                          .....:~^%§
%^~:......                                          ......:~^%
^~:.......                                          .......:~^
%^~:......                                          ......:~^%
§%^~:..... ...:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::... .....:~^%§
£§%^~:.... .:^            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.....             :~. ......:~^%
^~:....... ...:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::... .......:~^
%^~:......                                          ......:~^%
§%^~:.....                                          .....:~^%§
£§%^~:....                                          ....:~^%§£
#£§%^~:...                                          ...:~^%§£#
##£§%^~:..                                          ..:~^%§£##