§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§ ¨¨¨¨¨§§§§§
§¨¨§§¨¨¨§§ ¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§¨§¨¨§¨¨ ¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨§
§§§§§¨§§¨§ ¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨§§¨§§¨ ¨§§§§¨¨§§§
¨¨¨§¨§§¨§§ ¨¨¨,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,¨¨¨ §¨¨¨§¨§¨¨§
¨¨§§§¨§§¨§ ¨,\ 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..... ,-¨ ¨§§¨§§§§¨§
§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§ ¨¨¨,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,¨¨¨ §¨§§¨¨¨§§§
§¨§§¨§§¨§§ §§¨§¨¨§¨¨¨
§§¨§§¨§§¨§ ¨§§§¨§§¨¨§
¨§§¨§§¨§§§ §¨¨§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§§¨§§¨¨§ §¨§¨§§§§§¨
§§¨§§¨§¨§¨ §§§§¨¨¨¨§§