$†^=......                                          ......=^†$
†^=.......                                          .......=^†
$†^=......                                          ......=^†$
#$†^=.....                                          .....=^†$#
£#$†^=....                                          ....=^†$#£
#£#$†^=... ......^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...... ...=^†$#£#
##£#$†^=.. ..^            THE  SPIRE            =^. ..=^†$#£##
###£#$†^=. =^.==================================^=. .=^†$#£###
##£#$†^=.. ^=. ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    ^.= ..=^†$#£##
#£#$†^=... ^.= BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING  WELL .^= ...=^†$#£#
£#$†^=.... .^=  ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS .=^ ....=^†$#£
#$†^=..... .=^ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED =.^ .....=^†$#
$†^=...... =.^        LIKED  A  MUSHROOM.       =^. ......=^†$
†^=....... =^.      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 .^= .......=^†
$†^=...... ..=            CARS.....             .=. ......=^†$
#$†^=..... ......^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...... .....=^†$#
£#$†^=....                                          ....=^†$#£
#£#$†^=...                                          ...=^†$#£#
##£#$†^=..                                          ..=^†$#£##
###£#$†^=.                                          .=^†$#£###
##£#$†^=..                                          ..=^†$#£##