¨&&¨¨¨&¨&& &&¨&¨&¨&¨&
&¨&¨¨&&&¨¨ ¨&&&&&&&&&
&&&¨&¨¨&¨¨ &¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨&&&¨&&¨& &¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&
¨&¨¨&&¨&&¨ &¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&&
&&¨&¨&&¨&& ¨¨¨,,,††††††††††††††††††††††††††††,,,¨¨¨ &¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨&
¨&&&&¨&&¨¨ ¨,† 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..... ,«¨ ¨&¨&¨¨¨¨¨&
&&¨&&¨&¨&& ¨¨¨,,,††††††††††††††††††††††††††††,,,¨¨¨ &&&&¨¨¨¨&&
¨&&¨&&&&¨& ¨¨¨&¨¨¨&¨¨
&¨&&¨¨¨&&& ¨¨&&¨¨&&¨¨
&&¨&¨¨&¨¨¨ ¨&¨&¨&¨&¨&
¨&&&¨&&¨¨¨ &&&&&&&&&¨
&¨¨&&¨&¨¨& ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨