,,,,,,,~*† †*~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~*†@ @†*~,,,,,,
,,,,,~*†@£ £@†*~,,,,,
,,,,~*†@£@ @£@†*~,,,,
,,,~*†@£@@ @@£@†*~,,,
,,~*†@£@@# ,,,,,,****************************,,,,,, #@@£@†*~,,
,,,~*†@£@@ ,,* 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..... ,~, £@†*~,,,,,
,,,,~*†@£@ ,,,,,,****************************,,,,,, @£@†*~,,,,
,,,~*†@£@@ @@£@†*~,,,
,,~*†@£@@# #@@£@†*~,,
,,,~*†@£@@ @@£@†*~,,,
,,,,~*†@£@ @£@†*~,,,,
,,,,,~*†@£ £@†*~,,,,,