@#%$*~....                                          ....~*$%#@
#@#%$*~...                                          ...~*$%#@#
##@#%$*~..                                          ..~*$%#@##
#@#%$*~...                                          ...~*$%#@#
@#%$*~....                                          ....~*$%#@
#%$*~..... ......****************************...... .....~*$%#
%$*~...... ..*            THE  SPIRE            ~*. ......~*$%
#%$*~..... ~*.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~. .....~*$%#
@#%$*~.... *~. ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    *.~ ....~*$%#@
#@#%$*~... *.~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL  .*~ ...~*$%#@#
##@#%$*~.. .*~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT  WAS .~* ..~*$%#@##
#@#%$*~... .~* CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~.* ...~*$%#@#
@#%$*~.... ~.*       LIKED   A   MUSHROOM.      ~*. ....~*$%#@
#%$*~..... ~*.      WE  LOVED  IT  DEARLY.      *~. .....~*$%#
%$*~...... *~.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*.~ ......~*$%
#%$*~..... *.~  IT  PREDATED US BY  MANY YEARS, .*~ .....~*$%#
@#%$*~.... .*~ AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL .~* ....~*$%#@
#@#%$*~... .~*  BUILDERS.  THEY HAD  USED  ITS  ~.* ...~*$%#@#
##@#%$*~.. ~.*  HOLLOW  BODY  FOR MANY  STRANGE ~*. ..~*$%#@##
#@#%$*~... ~*. PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE  PLACE  OF *~. ...~*$%#@#
@#%$*~.... *~. GESTATION,  A  STORAGE OF STRAGE *.~ ....~*$%#@
#%$*~..... *.~ FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF .*~ .....~*$%#
%$*~...... .*~    ARCANE    DEITY.              .~* ......~*$%
#%$*~..... .~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.* .....~*$%#
@#%$*~.... ~.*  WE  WERE   GRATEFUL  FOR   ITS  ~*. ....~*$%#@
#@#%$*~... ~*. PRESENCE,  AND  HONORED IT  THE  *~. ...~*$%#@#
##@#%$*~.. *~.  ONLY  WAY   WE  KNEW  HOW:  BY  *.~ ..~*$%#@##
#@#%$*~... ..~       BREAKING        IN.        .~. ...~*$%#@#
@#%$*~.... ......****************************...... ....~*$%#@
#%$*~.....                                          .....~*$%#
%$*~......                                          ......~*$%
#%$*~..... ......****************************...... .....~*$%#
@#%$*~.... .~* THIS  PLACE WE CALLED  OUR CITY: .*~ ....~*$%#@
#@#%$*~... .*~  WAVY AND FRACTURED, WITH  EACH  *.~ ...~*$%#@#
##@#%$*~.. *.~ COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, *~. ..~*$%#@##
#@#%$*~... *~.  ROADS BECOMING ROOFS  BECOMING  ~*. ...~*$%#@#
@#%$*~.... ~*. DRAINS.  AND  SOME PLACES,  LIKE ~.* ....~*$%#@
#%$*~..... ~.* THE SPIRE,  NOBODY HAD  ACCESSED .~* .....~*$%#
%$*~...... .~*  FOR  MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS .*~ ......~*$%
#%$*~..... .*~  ARE  JUST TOO  HIGH,  AND  THE  *.~ .....~*$%#
@#%$*~.... *.~ INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, *~. ....~*$%#@
#@#%$*~... *~. A PLACE  AMONG OTHERS  IS EASILY ~*. ...~*$%#@#
##@#%$*~.. ~*.            OVERLOOKED.           .~* ..~*$%#@##
#@#%$*~... .~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.*~ ...~*$%#@#
@#%$*~.... .*~ SO,  BASICALLY, THAT  SUMMER THE *.~ ....~*$%#@
#%$*~..... *.~ FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND ~.* .....~*$%#
%$*~...... *~. CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR ~*. ......~*$%
#%$*~..... ~*. A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND ~.* .....~*$%#
@#%$*~.... ~.* PLAY  MUSIC  ON OUR HANDHELDS.   .~* ....~*$%#@
#@#%$*~... .~*  INSTEAD  WE  FOUND VAST  LUNGS  .*~ ...~*$%#@#
##@#%$*~.. .*~  DRAINED   OF  THEIR   CATALYST  *.~ ..~*$%#@##
#@#%$*~... *.~ SLUDGE,  AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO *~. ...~*$%#@#
@#%$*~.... *~. MAKE  SENSE  OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR ~*. ....~*$%#@
#%$*~..... ~*.        YEARS   TO   COME.        ~.* .....~*$%#
%$*~...... ~.*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.~* ......~*$%
#%$*~..... .~*  A  CENTRAL SPINE,  A STAIRCASE  .*~ .....~*$%#
@#%$*~.... .*~  AROUND IT,  THE SEVEN TOROIDAL  *.~ ....~*$%#@
#@#%$*~... *.~ LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE, AND  THE  *~. ...~*$%#@#
##@#%$*~.. *~. CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS ~*. ..~*$%#@##
#@#%$*~... ~*. FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES ~.* ...~*$%#@#
@#%$*~.... ~.*  FOR  RADIATING   CONSCIOUSNESS  .~* ....~*$%#@
#%$*~..... .~*           INVITATIONS.           .*. .....~*$%#
%$*~...... ......****************************...... ......~*$%
#%$*~.....                                          .....~*$%#
@#%$*~.... ......****************************...... ....~*$%#@
#@#%$*~... ..* IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS *~. ...~*$%#@#
##@#%$*~.. ~*. TOPPLED AND EATEN  BY  MACHINES. *.~ ..~*$%#@##
#@#%$*~... *~. AFTER A  WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS .*~ ...~*$%#@#
@#%$*~.... *.~  CONJURED IN  ITS PLACE.  IT'S A .~* ....~*$%#@
#%$*~..... .*~ TINY MAW AT  FIRST, SHORTER THAN ~.* .....~*$%#
%$*~...... .~*  US,  AND  WE  LET IT  BE.  OUR  ~*. ......~*$%
#%$*~..... ~.*  JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. *~. .....~*$%#
@#%$*~.... ~*.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*.~ ....~*$%#@
#@#%$*~... *~.  BUT  THEN  WE ARE BETRAYED. THE .*~ ...~*$%#@#
##@#%$*~.. *.~  NEW  TOWER EATS  US. OTHERS ARE .~* ..~*$%#@##
#@#%$*~... .*~ SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE ~.* ...~*$%#@#
@#%$*~.... .~* MANIFESTED  OVERNIGHT, ONLY  TO  ~*. ....~*$%#@
#%$*~..... ~.*  DISAPPEAR IN THE  EVENING FOG.  *~. .....~*$%#
%$*~...... ~*.  FOR A WHILE  ITS SOME  KIND OF  *.~ ......~*$%
#%$*~..... *~. TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED .*~ .....~*$%#
@#%$*~.... *.~  OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A .~* ....~*$%#@
#@#%$*~... .*~  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  ~.* ...~*$%#@#
##@#%$*~.. .~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*. ..~*$%#@##
#@#%$*~... ~.*  IIRC  IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED  BY  *~. ...~*$%#@#
@#%$*~.... ~*. SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES *.~ ....~*$%#@
#%$*~..... *~. IT  TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT .*~ .....~*$%#
%$*~...... ..~            CARS.....             .~. ......~*$%
#%$*~..... ......****************************...... .....~*$%#
@#%$*~....                                          ....~*$%#@
#@#%$*~...                                          ...~*$%#@#
##@#%$*~..                                          ..~*$%#@##
#@#%$*~...                                          ...~*$%#@#
@#%$*~....                                          ....~*$%#@