,,,,,~^^§@ @§^^~,,,,,
,,,~~~~^§§ §§^~~~~,,,
,,,~~~^^^§ §^^^~~~,,,
,~~^^*§¶@# #@¶§*^^~~,
,~~^^*§¶@# #@¶§*^^~~,
,,,,~^^§§@ ,,,~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~,,, @§§^^~,,,,
,~~^^*§§§§ ,~^ 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..... ~~, #@¶§*^^~~,
,~~^^*§¶@# ,,,~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~,,, #@¶§*^^~~,
,~~^^*§@## ##@§*^^~~,
,~~^^*§¶@@ @@¶§*^^~~,
,~~^^*§¶¶¶ ¶¶¶§*^^~~,
,,,,~~^*§§ §§*^~~,,,,
,,~~~^^^§@ @§^^^~~~,,