.~«=^¤####                                          ####¤^=«~.
.~«=^¤¤¤¤#                                          #¤¤¤¤^=«~.
.~«=^¤¤###                                          ###¤¤^=«~.
.....«=^^¤                                          ¤^^=«.....
.~«=^¤¤###                                          ###¤¤^=«~.
.....~~=¤# ...~~~============================~~~... #¤=~~.....
.~«=^¤¤### .~=            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.....             ~«. ###¤¤^=«~.
.~~««««^¤¤ ...~~~============================~~~... ¤¤^««««~~.
.....«^¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤^«.....
....~~~=¤¤                                          ¤¤=~~~....
.~«=¤¤####                                          ####¤¤=«~.
.~«=^¤####                                          ####¤^=«~.
.~«=^¤¤###                                          ###¤¤^=«~.