###@&*=«,. .,«=*&@###
#@&&**=«,. .,«=**&&@#
£**«,,.... ....,,«**£
##@£&*=«,. .,«=*&£@##
###@£*=«,. .,«=*£@###
###£&*=«,. ...,,,============================,,,... .,«=*&£###
@@&*«««,,. .,= 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..... ,«. ......,=&@
###@&*=«,. ...,,,============================,,,... .,«=*&@###
##@£&*=«,. .,«=*&£@##
@&==,,.... ....,,==&@
##@£&*=«,. .,«=*&£@##
##@£&*=«,. .,«=*&£@##
##@£&*=«,. .,«=*&£@##