..~«*%§&@@                                          @@&§%*«~..
.~«*%§&@@#                                          #@@&§%*«~.
..~«*%§&@@                                          @@&§%*«~..
...~«*%§&@                                          @&§%*«~...
....~«*%§&                                          &§%*«~....
.....~«*%§ ...~~~****************************~~~... §%*«~.....
......~«*% .~*            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.....            ~«. @@&§%*«~..
...~«*%§&@ ...~~~****************************~~~... @&§%*«~...
....~«*%§&                                          &§%*«~....
.....~«*%§                                          §%*«~.....
......~«*%                                          %*«~......
.......~«*                                          *«~.......
......~«*%                                          %*«~......