¨¨¨¨.~^%%§                                          §%%^~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~^%%§#                                          #§%%^~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~^%%§#@                                          @#§%%^~.¨¨
¨.~^%%§#@#                                          #@#§%%^~.¨
¨¨.~^%%§#@                                          @#§%%^~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~^%%§# ¨¨¨...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...¨¨¨ #§%%^~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~^%%§ ¨.^            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.....             .~¨ §%%^~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~^%% ¨¨¨...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...¨¨¨ %%^~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~^%%§                                          §%%^~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~^%%§#                                          #§%%^~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~^%%§#@                                          @#§%%^~.¨¨
¨.~^%%§#@#                                          #@#§%%^~.¨
¨¨.~^%%§#@                                          @#§%%^~.¨¨