###§%=^~^.                                          .^~^=%§###
###§%=^~^.                                          .^~^=%§###
###§%=^~^.                                          .^~^=%§###
§=~~^^....                                          ....^^~~=§
##%%=~~~^.                                          .^~~~=%%##
§%^^...... ...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^... ......^^%§
####%=^~^. .^^            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.....             ^~. .^~^=%§###
###§%=^~^. ...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^... .^~^=%§###
###§%=^~^.                                          .^~^=%§###
###§%=^~^.                                          .^~^=%§###
###§%=^~^.                                          .^~^=%§###
###§%=^~^.                                          .^~^=%§###
####§%=^^.                                          .^^=%§####