#*†==,,,,, ,,,,,==†*#
@#&*†==,,, ,,,==†*&#@
&&&&*†\=,, ,,=\†*&&&&
#@#&*†\=,, ,,=\†*&#@#
#@#&*†\=,, ,,=\†*&#@#
&&&&*†\=,, ,,,,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,,,, ,,=\†*&&&&
@##&*†\=,, ,,\ 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..... ,=, ,,=\†****#
&*†††\==,, ,,,,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,,,, ,,==\†††*&
#@#&*†\=,, ,,=\†*&#@#
#@#&*†\=,, ,,=\†*&#@#
#&&†††\=,, ,,=\†††&&#
&*\,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,\*&
##&**†\=,, ,,=\†**&##