##@&*†\«,¨ ¨,«\†*&@##
#@&*†\«,¨¨ ¨¨,«\†*&@#
@&*†\«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«\†*&@
&*†\«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«\†*&
*†\«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«\†*
†\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\†
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨,\ 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..... ,«¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,