.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.........~ ~.........
........~- ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... -~........
.......~-^ .~^ 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..... ~-. £*^-~.....
....~-^*££ ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... ££*^-~....
...~-^*££¶ ¶££*^-~...
..~-^*££¶# #¶££*^-~..
.~-^*££¶## ##¶££*^-~.
..~-^*££¶# #¶££*^-~..
...~-^*££¶ ¶££*^-~...