,,,^^~==¤#                                          #¤==~^^,,,
,,,,^~~==¤                                          ¤==~~^,,,,
,,,,,^\$$@                                          @$$\^,,,,,
,^~=$¤@###                                          ###@¤$=~^,
,^~\=$¤@##                                          ##@¤$=\~^,
,^~\====¤# ,,,^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^,,, #¤====\~^,
,^~\=$¤@## ,^\            THE  SPIRE            ~\, ##@¤$=\~^,
,^~\=$¤@## ~\^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\~^ ##@¤$=\~^,
,^~\=$¤¤¤@ \~^ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    \^~ @¤¤¤$=\~^,
,^~\=$¤@## \^~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING  WELL ^\~ ##@¤$=\~^,
,,,,,^\\=¤ ^\~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES.  IT WAS ^~\ ¤=\\^,,,,,
,^~\=$$$@# ^~\ 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.....            ^~, #¤¤=\\\~^,
,^~\=$¤@## ,,,^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^,,, ##@¤$=\~^,
,^~\=$¤@##                                          ##@¤$=\~^,
,^~\===$@@                                          @@$===\~^,
,,,,^\\$¤#                                          #¤$\\^,,,,
,^~\=$¤@##                                          ##@¤$=\~^,
,^~\=$¤@##                                          ##@¤$=\~^,