,,,,,»*@@@                                          @@@*»,,,,,
,^»†*%@###                                          ###@%*†»^,
,^»†*%@###                                          ###@%*†»^,
,^»†*%%%%#                                          #%%%%*†»^,
,^»†*%@###                                          ###@%*†»^,
,^»†*@#### ,,,^^^††††††††††††††††††††††††††††^^^,,, ####@*†»^,
,^»†*%@### ,^†            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.....             ^», #@@%†^,,,,
,^»†*%@### ,,,^^^††††††††††††††††††††††††††††^^^,,, ###@%*†»^,
,^»†*@####                                          ####@*†»^,
,,,,»†*@@@                                          @@@*†»,,,,
,^»†*%@###                                          ###@%*†»^,
,^»†*%@###                                          ###@%*†»^,
,^»†*%@@@#                                          #@@@%*†»^,