@&£†:«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«:†£&@
#@&£†:«:¨¨ ¨¨:«:†£&@#
##@&£†:«:¨ ¨:«:†£&@##
#@&£†:«:¨¨ ¨¨:«:†£&@#
@&£†:«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«:†£&@
&£†:«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«:†£&
£†:«:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨:: 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..... :«¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:«:†£
&£†:«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«:†£&
@&£†:«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«:†£&@
#@&£†:«:¨¨ ¨¨:«:†£&@#
##@&£†:«:¨ ¨:«:†£&@##
#@&£†:«:¨¨ ¨¨:«:†£&@#
@&£†:«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«:†£&@