,,,,,,~:%§ §%:~,,,,,,
,,~:%§@### ###@§%:~,,
,,~:%§§§§@ @§§§§%:~,,
,,~:%§@### ###@§%:~,,
,,~:%§§@## ##@§§%:~,,
,,~::::§§@ ,,,,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,,,, @§§::::~,,
,,,,~::§§§ ,,: 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..... ,~, ###@§§%~,,
,,~:%§§@## ,,,,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,,,, ##@§§%:~,,
,,~:%§§@## ##@§§%:~,,
,,~:%§§@## ##@§§%:~,,
,,,,,,~%§@ @§%~,,,,,,
,,~:%§§§§@ @§§§§%:~,,
,,,,,~:§§§ §§§:~,,,,,