###@£&§~^.                                          .^~§&£@###
##@£&§~^..                                          ..^~§&£@##
#@£&§~^...                                          ...^~§&£@#
@£&§~^....                                          ....^~§&£@
£&§~^.....                                          .....^~§&£
&§~^...... ...^^^============================^^^... ......^~§&
§~^....... .^=            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.....             ^~. ...^~§&£@#
##@£&§~^.. ...^^^============================^^^... ..^~§&£@##
###@£&§~^.                                          .^~§&£@###
##@£&§~^..                                          ..^~§&£@##
#@£&§~^...                                          ...^~§&£@#
@£&§~^....                                          ....^~§&£@
£&§~^.....                                          .....^~§&£