,,~«*=***#                                          #***=*«~,,
,,~«««**##                                          ##**«««~,,
,,,,~***##                                          ##***~,,,,
,,,,,,«=##                                          ##=«,,,,,,
,,,~~«***#                                          #***«~~,,,
,~«*=*#### ,,,~~~****************************~~~,,, ####*=*«~,
,~«*=*#### ,~*            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.....            ~«, ####*=*«~,
,~«*=*#### ,,,~~~****************************~~~,,, ####*=*«~,
,~«*=*####                                          ####*=*«~,
,,,,,~«==#                                          #==«~,,,,,
,~«*=*####                                          ####*=*«~,
,,,~*===*#                                          #*===*~,,,
,,,,~«*=##                                          ##=*«~,,,,