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