,,,,,,.:§£ £§:.,,,,,,
,.=:†§£¶¶@ @¶¶£§†:=.,
,.=:†§§§§¶ ¶§§§§†:=.,
,.=:†§£¶@# #@¶£§†:=.,
,.=:†§£¶@# #@¶£§†:=.,
,.=:†§£@## ,,,...::::::::::::::::::::::::::::...,,, ##@£§†:=.,
,,,,==††£¶ ,.: 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..... .=, ¶£££§†:=.,
,.=:†§£¶## ,,,...::::::::::::::::::::::::::::...,,, ##¶£§†:=.,
,.=:†§£¶@# #@¶£§†:=.,
,,,.==††£¶ ¶£††==.,,,
,.=:†§£¶@# #@¶£§†:=.,
,.=:†§£¶¶@ @¶¶£§†:=.,
,,,,...:§¶ ¶§:...,,,,