¨¨¨,~=%%@@ @@%%=~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~=%%@ @%%=~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~=%%@@ @@%%=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=%%@@@ @@@%%=~,¨¨
¨,~=%%@@@# #@@@%%=~,¨
¨¨,~=%%@@@ ¨¨¨,,,============================,,,¨¨¨ @@@%%=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=%%@@ ¨,= 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..... ,~¨ @@%%=~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~=%%@@@ ¨¨¨,,,============================,,,¨¨¨ @@@%%=~,¨¨
¨,~=%%@@@# #@@@%%=~,¨
¨¨,~=%%@@@ @@@%%=~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~=%%@@ @@%%=~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~=%%@ @%%=~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~=%%@@ @@%%=~,¨¨¨