##@&%$=~,. .,~=$%&@##
##@&%$=~,. .,~=$%&@##
##@&%$=~,. .,~=$%&@##
#@%%=,.... ....,=%%@#
&&%%===~,. .,~===%%&&
@%=,...... ...,,,============================,,,... ......,=%@
###@&%$~,. .,= THE SPIRE ~=. .,~$%&@###
#@&$==,,,. ~=,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=~, .,,,==$&@#
##@&%$=~,. =~, ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A =,~ .,~=$%&@##
&&&%%$=~,. =,~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ,=~ .,~=$%%&&&
###@%$=~,. ,=~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ,~= .,~=$%@###
##@&%$=~,. ,~= CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~,= .,~=$%&@##
&%==~~,... ~,= 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 ,~= .....,~=%@
&%%$~,,... ,=~ FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. ~,= ...,,~$%%&
#&$=,,.... ,~=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=, ....,,=$
&$=,,..... ~,= IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY =~, .....,,=$&
##@&%$=~,. ~=, SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES =,~ .,~=$%&@##
@%$~~..... =~, IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ,=~ .....~~$%@
###@&%$~,. .,~ CARS..... ,~. .,~$%&@###
##@&%$=~,. ...,,,============================,,,... .,~=$%&@##
##@&%$=~,. .,~=$%&@##
#@@&%$=~,. .,~=$%&@@#
##@&%$=~,. .,~=$%&@##
&%==~..... .....~==%&
&%=,,,.... ....,,,=%&