,,,,^=;§£@ @£§;=^,,,,
,,,,,^=;§£ £§;=^,,,,,
,,,,,,^=;§ §;=^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^=; ;=^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^= =^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,^ ,,,^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^,,, ^,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^= ,^; 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..... ^=, =^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^=; ,,,^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^,,, ;=^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,^=;§ §;=^,,,,,,
,,,,,^=;§£ £§;=^,,,,,
,,,,^=;§£@ @£§;=^,,,,
,,,^=;§£@# #@£§;=^,,,
,,^=;§£@## ##@£§;=^,,