,,,«*%£&@#                                          #@&£%*«,,,
,,,,«*%£&@                                          @&£%*«,,,,
,,,,,«*%£&                                          &£%*«,,,,,
,,,,,,«*%£                                          £%*«,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«*%                                          %*«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,«*%£ ,,,,,,****************************,,,,,, £%*«,,,,,,
,,,,,«*%£& ,,*            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.....             ,«, &£%*«,,,,,
,,,,«*%£&@ ,,,,,,****************************,,,,,, @&£%*«,,,,
,,,«*%£&@#                                          #@&£%*«,,,
,,«*%£&@##                                          ##@&£%*«,,
,,,«*%£&@#                                          #@&£%*«,,,
,,,,«*%£&@                                          @&£%*«,,,,
,,,,,«*%£&                                          &£%*«,,,,,