=~^,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,^~=
~^,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,^~
^,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,^
~^,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,^~
=~^,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,^~=
%=~^,,,,,, ,,,^^^============================^^^,,, ,,,,,,^~=%
$%=~^,,,,, ,^=            THE  SPIRE            ~=, ,,,,,^~=%$
§$%=~^,,,, ~=^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=~^ ,,,,^~=%$§
@§$%=~^,,, =~^ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    =^~ ,,,^~=%$§@
#@§$%=~^,, =^~ BENEVOLENT  SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ^=~ ,,^~=%$§@#
##@§$%=~^, ^=~ ABOVE OUR  TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ^~= ,^~=%$§@##
#@§$%=~^,, ^~= CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~^= ,,^~=%$§@#
@§$%=~^,,, ~^=       LIKED  A   MUSHROOM.       ~=^ ,,,^~=%$§@
§$%=~^,,,, ~=^      WE  LOVED  IT  DEARLY.      =~^ ,,,,^~=%$§
$%=~^,,,,, =~^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=^~ ,,,,,^~=%$
%=~^,,,,,, =^~  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 ^=~ ,,,,,,^~=%
$%=~^,,,,, ,^~             CARS.....            ^~, ,,,,,^~=%$
§$%=~^,,,, ,,,^^^============================^^^,,, ,,,,^~=%$§
@§$%=~^,,,                                          ,,,^~=%$§@
#@§$%=~^,,                                          ,,^~=%$§@#
##@§$%=~^,                                          ,^~=%$§@##
#@§$%=~^,,                                          ,,^~=%$§@#
@§$%=~^,,,                                          ,,,^~=%$§@