.^-;*§#¶## ##¶#§*;-^.
.^-;*§#¶## ##¶#§*;-^.
.^-;*§#¶## ##¶#§*;-^.
.^-;*§#¶## ##¶#§*;-^.
.^;*§#¶### ###¶#§*;^.
..^^^^--*# ...^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^... #*--^^^^..
...^^;§### .^; 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..... ^-. #***;-^^^.
....^;;;§¶ ...^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^... ¶§;;;^....
.^-*§#¶### ###¶#§*-^.
.^-;*§#¶## ##¶#§*;-^.
.^-;*§#¶## ##¶#§*;-^.
.^-;*§#¶## ##¶#§*;-^.
.^-;*§#¶¶¶ ¶¶¶#§*;-^.