##§¤%^~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~^%¤§##
###§¤%^~^¨                                          ¨^~^%¤§###
##§¤%^~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~^%¤§##
#§¤%^~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~^%¤§#
§¤%^~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~^%¤§
¤%^~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~^%¤
§¤%^~^¨¨¨¨ ¨^^            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.....             ^~¨ ¨¨¨¨^~^%¤§
#§¤%^~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~^%¤§#
##§¤%^~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~^%¤§##
###§¤%^~^¨                                          ¨^~^%¤§###
##§¤%^~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~^%¤§##
#§¤%^~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~^%¤§#
§¤%^~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~^%¤§