¨¨¨,«:%*&#                                          #&*%:«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«:%*&                                          &*%:«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«:%*                                          *%:«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«:%*&                                          &*%:«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«:%*&#                                          #&*%:«,¨¨¨
¨¨,«:%*&## ¨¨¨,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,¨¨¨ ##&*%:«,¨¨
¨,«:%*&### ¨,:            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.....             ,«¨ ###&*%:«,¨
¨¨,«:%*&## ¨¨¨,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,¨¨¨ ##&*%:«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«:%*&#                                          #&*%:«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«:%*&                                          &*%:«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«:%*                                          *%:«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«:%*&                                          &*%:«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«:%*&#                                          #&*%:«,¨¨¨