###&$%:«~.                                          .~«:%$&###
&%«~~.....                                          .....~~«%&
###&$%:«~.                                          .~«:%$&###
&%:«~.....                                          .....~«:%&
&$$::~~...                                          ...~~::$$&
#$%%:~~... ...~~~::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~~~... ...~~:%%$#
###&$%:«~. .~:            THE  SPIRE            «:. .~«:%$&###
###&$%:«~. «:~««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:«~ .~«:%$&###
##$$$%:«~. :«~ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    :~« .~«:%$$$##
###&$%:«~. :~« BENEVOLENT SPIRE,  TOWERING WELL ~:« .~«:%$&###
###&$%:«~. ~:« ABOVE  OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ~«: .~«:%$&###
###&$%:«~. ~«: CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED «~: .~«:%$&###
#&%«~..... «~:        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.  «~: ...~«:%%&&
###&$%:«~. ~«:«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:~ .~«:%$&###
##&&$%:«~. «~:  IIRC  IT'S  CURRENTLY OWNED BY  :«~ .~«:%$&&##
#$:~...... «:~ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES :~« ......~:$#
###&$%:«~. :«~ IT TO  HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ~:« .~«:%$&###
&$%%«~.... .~«             CARS.....            ~«. ....~«%%$&
###&$%:«~. ...~~~::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~~~... .~«:%$&###
###&$%:«~.                                          .~«:%$&###
#&$$%:«...                                          ...«:%$$&#
####&$%«~.                                          .~«%$&####
###&$%:«~.                                          .~«:%$&###
##&&$%:«~.                                          .~«:%$&&##