...~«$*¤¤¤                                          ¤¤¤*$«~...
.~«\$*¤#@#                                          #@#¤*$\«~.
.~«\$*¤#@#                                          #@#¤*$\«~.
.....~~\*#                                          #*\~~.....
......~«$¤                                          ¤$«~......
....~«\$¤¤ ...~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~... ¤¤$\«~....
......~\$¤ .~\            THE  SPIRE            «\. ¤$\~......
..~~~««\*¤ «\~««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««\«~ ¤*\««~~~..
.~«\$*¤¤¤¤ \«~ 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.  «~\ ##¤*\\«~~.
.~«\$$$$$¤ ~«\«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««\~ ¤$$$$$\«~.
...««\\*¤@ «~\ IIRC IT'S  CURRENTLY  OWNED  BY  \«~ @¤*\\««...
.~«\$*¤#@# «\~ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES \~« #@#¤*$\«~.
.~«\$*¤#@# \«~ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT  ~\« #@#¤*$\«~.
.~«\$*¤### .~«             CARS.....            ~«. ###¤*$\«~.
...~«\$$¤@ ...~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~... @¤$$\«~...
.~«\$*¤@##                                          ##@¤*$\«~.
....~\\$$¤                                          ¤$$\\~....
.~«\$*¤#@#                                          #@#¤*$\«~.
....~««\*#                                          #*\««~....
.....«\$*#                                          #*$\«.....