¨¨¨~«*$&#@ @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# ¨¨¨~~~****************************~~~¨¨¨ #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ ¨~* THE SPIRE «*¨ @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# «*~««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««*«~ #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ *«~ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A *~« @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# *~« BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ~*« #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## ~*« ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ~«* ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# ~«* CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED «~* #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ «~* LIKED A MUSHROOM. «*~ @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# «*~ WE LOVED IT DEARLY. *«~ #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ *«~««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««*~« @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# *~« IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, ~*« #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## ~*« AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ~«* ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# ~«* BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS «~* #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ «~* HOLLOW BODY FOR MANY STRANGE «*~ @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# «*~ PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE OF *«~ #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ *«~ GESTATION, A STORAGE OF STRAGE *~« @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# *~« FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF ~*« #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## ~*« ARCANE DEITY. ~«* ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# ~«*«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««~* #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ «~* WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS «*~ @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# «*~ PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE *«~ #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ *«~ ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY *~« @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# ¨~« BREAKING IN. ~«¨ #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## ¨¨¨~~~****************************~~~¨¨¨ ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# ¨¨¨~~~****************************~~~¨¨¨ #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ ¨«* THIS PLACE WE CALLED OUR CITY: ~*« @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# ~*« WAVY AND FRACTURED, WITH EACH *~« #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## *~« COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, *«~ ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# *«~ ROADS BECOMING ROOFS BECOMING «*~ #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ «*~ DRAINS. AND SOME PLACES, LIKE «~* @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# «~* THE SPIRE, NOBODY HAD ACCESSED ~«* #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ ~«* FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS ~*« @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# ~*« ARE JUST TOO HIGH, AND THE *~« #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## *~« INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, *«~ ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# *«~ A PLACE AMONG OTHERS IS EASILY «*~ #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ «*~ OVERLOOKED. ~«* @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# ~«*««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««~*« #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ ~*« SO, BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER THE *~« @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# *~« FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND «~* #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## *«~ CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR «*~ ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# «*~ A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND «~* #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ «~* PLAY MUSIC ON OUR HANDHELDS. ~«* @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# ~«* INSTEAD WE FOUND VAST LUNGS ~*« #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ ~*« DRAINED OF THEIR CATALYST *~« @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# *~« SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO *«~ #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## *«~ MAKE SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR «*~ ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# «*~ YEARS TO COME. «~* #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ «~*««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««~«* @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# ~«* A CENTRAL SPINE, A STAIRCASE ~*« #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ ~*« AROUND IT, THE SEVEN TOROIDAL *~« @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# *~« LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE, AND THE *«~ #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## *«~ CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS «*~ ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# «*~ FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES «~* #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ «~* FOR RADIATING CONSCIOUSNESS ~«* @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# ¨«* INVITATIONS. ~*¨ #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ ¨¨¨~~~****************************~~~¨¨¨ @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## ¨¨¨~~~****************************~~~¨¨¨ ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# ¨~* IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS *«~ #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ «*~ TOPPLED AND EATEN BY MACHINES. *~« @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# *«~ AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS ~*« #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ *~« CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A ~«* @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# ~*« TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN «~* #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## ~«* US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR «*~ ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# «~* JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. *«~ #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ «*~««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««*~« @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# *«~ BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE ~*« #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ *~« NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE ~«* @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# ~*« SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE «~* #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## ~«* MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO «*~ ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# «~* DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. *«~ #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ «*~ FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF *~« @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# *«~ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ~*« #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ *~« OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A ~«* @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# ~*« FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. «~* #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## ~«*«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««*~ ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# «~* IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY *«~ #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ «*~ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES *~« @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# *«~ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ~*« #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ ¨~« CARS..... ~«¨ @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# ¨¨¨~~~****************************~~~¨¨¨ #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨~«*$&#@## ##@#&$*«~¨
¨¨~«*$&#@# #@#&$*«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ @#&$*«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«*$&# #&$*«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«*$&#@ @#&$*«~¨¨¨