§¨§§¨¨§§¨¨                                          §§§§§¨¨§§§
§¨¨§¨§¨§¨§                                          §§§§§¨§¨§§
§¨§§¨§¨§¨§                                          §§§§§¨§¨¨§
§¨¨§¨§¨§¨§                                          ¨§§§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§§¨§¨§¨§                                          §¨§§§¨§¨§¨
§¨¨§¨§¨§¨§ ¨¨¨~~~////////////////////////////~~~¨¨¨ §¨¨§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§§¨§¨§¨§ ¨~/            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.....            ~~¨ §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨¨§¨§¨§¨§ ¨¨¨~~~////////////////////////////~~~¨¨¨ §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§§¨§¨§¨§                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨¨§¨§¨§¨§                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§§¨§¨§¨§                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨¨§¨§¨§¨§                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§§¨§¨§¨§                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨