¨¨¨¨¨,~^§$ $§^~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~^§ §^~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~^ ^~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~ ~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ¨,^ THE SPIRE ~^¨ ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~ ~^,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^~, ~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~^ ^~, ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A ^,~ ^~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~^§ ^,~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ,^~ §^~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~^§$ ,^~ 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..... ,~¨ ##£#$§^~,¨
¨¨,~^§$#£# ¨¨¨,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,¨¨¨ #£#$§^~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~^§$#£ £#$§^~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~^§$# #$§^~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~^§$ $§^~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~^§ §^~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~^ ^~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨