,,,-*¤##@# #@##¤*-,,,
,,,,-*¤##@ @##¤*-,,,,
,,,,,-*¤## ##¤*-,,,,,
,,,,,,-*¤# #¤*-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-*¤ ¤*-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,-*¤# ,,,,,,****************************,,,,,, #¤*-,,,,,,
,,,,,-*¤## ,,* 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..... ,-, ##¤*-,,,,,
,,,,-*¤##@ ,,,,,,****************************,,,,,, @##¤*-,,,,
,,,-*¤##@# #@##¤*-,,,
,,-*¤##@## ##@##¤*-,,
,,,-*¤##@# #@##¤*-,,,
,,,,-*¤##@ @##¤*-,,,,
,,,,,-*¤## ##¤*-,,,,,