.~«=%$&@##                                          ##@&$%=«~.
......~=$@                                          @$=~......
......«=%&                                          &%=«......
.....~=$&@                                          @&$=~.....
....~=%%&@                                          @&%%=~....
.~«=%$&@@# ...~~~============================~~~... #@@&$%=«~.
.~«=%$&@## .~=            THE  SPIRE            «=. ##@&$%=«~.
..~~««=$&& «=~««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««=«~ &&$=««~~..
.~«=%$&@## =«~ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    =~« ##@&$%=«~.
......~=$@ =~« BENEVOLENT  SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ~=« @$=~......
.~«=%$&&&@ ~=« ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES.  IT WAS ~«= @&&&$%=«~.
.~«=%$&@## ~«= CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED «~= ##@&$%=«~.
.....~««%& «~=       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 ~=« ###@&%=«~.
.~«=%$&@## .~«             CARS.....            ~«. ##@&$%=«~.
.~«=%$&@## ...~~~============================~~~... ##@&$%=«~.
.~«=%$&@##                                          ##@&$%=«~.
.~«=%&@###                                          ###@&%=«~.
.~«=%$&@##                                          ##@&$%=«~.
.....~=$&&                                          &&$=~.....
.~«=%$&&@#                                          #@&&$%=«~.