....~~^$%¤ ¤%$^~~....
.....~~^$% %$^~~.....
......~~^$ $^~~......
.......~~^ ^~~.......
........~~ ~~........
.........~ ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... ~.........
.......... .~^ THE SPIRE ~^. ..........
.......... ~^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^~~ ..........
.......... ^~~ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A ^~~ ..........
.......... ^~~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ~^~ ..........
.......... ~^~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ~~^ ..........
.......... ~~^ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~~^ ..........
.......... ~~^ LIKED A MUSHROOM. ~^~ ..........
.........~ ~^~ WE LOVED IT DEARLY. ^~~ ~.........
........~~ ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^~~ ~~........
.......~~^ ^~~ IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, ~^~ ^~~.......
......~~^$ ~^~ 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 ~~^ $^~~......
.......~~^ ~^~ SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE ~~^ ^~~.......
........~~ ~~^ MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO ~^~ ~~........
.........~ ~~^ DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. ^~~ ~.........
.......... ~^~ FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF ^~~ ..........
.......... ^~~ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ~^~ ..........
.......... ^~~ OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A ~~^ ..........
.......... ~^~ FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. ~~^ ..........
.......... ~~^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^~ ..........
.......... ~~^ IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY ^~~ ..........
.......... ~^~ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES ^~~ ..........
.........~ ^~~ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ~^~ ~.........
........~~ .~~ CARS..... ~~. ~~........
.......~~^ ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... ^~~.......
......~~^$ $^~~......
.....~~^$% %$^~~.....
....~~^$%¤ ¤%$^~~....
...~~^$%¤@ @¤%$^~~...
..~~^$%¤@# #@¤%$^~~..