§¨¨§§¨§§¨¨ ¨§¨¨§¨§¨¨¨
§§¨§¨§§¨§¨ §§§¨§§§§¨¨
§¨§§§§¨§§§ §¨¨§§¨¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨¨§§¨¨ ¨§¨§¨§¨¨§§
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§¨ §§§§§§§¨§¨
¨¨¨§§¨§§§§ ¨¨¨---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§
§¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨ ¨-^ 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..... -~¨ §§§¨¨§§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨§¨§§ ¨¨¨---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---¨¨¨ §¨¨§¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨§§§§§¨ ¨§¨§§§§¨§§
§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§ §§§§¨¨¨§§¨
§§¨¨§§¨¨¨§ §¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§
¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨§ §§¨¨§§¨§§§
§¨§§§§§§¨§ §¨§¨§¨§§¨¨