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