@*%^~-,,,, ,,,,-~^%*@
*%^~-,,,,, ,,,,,-~^%*
@*%^~-,,,, ,,,,-~^%*@
@@*%^~-,,, ,,,-~^%*@@
#@@*%^~-,, ,,-~^%*@@#
##@@*%^~-, ,,,---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---,,, ,-~^%*@@##
#@@*%^~-,, ,-^ 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..... -~, ,,-~^%*@@#
@@*%^~-,,, ,,,---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---,,, ,,,-~^%*@@
@*%^~-,,,, ,,,,-~^%*@
*%^~-,,,,, ,,,,,-~^%*
@*%^~-,,,, ,,,,-~^%*@
@@*%^~-,,, ,,,-~^%*@@
#@@*%^~-,, ,,-~^%*@@#