#*\~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~\*#
##¶#¤*\~~, ,~~\*¤#¶##
##¶#¤*\~~, ,~~\*¤#¶##
##¶#¤*\~~, ,~~\*¤#¶##
##¶#¤*\~~, ,~~\*¤#¶##
#¤¤**~~,,, ,,,~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~,,, ,,,~~**¤¤#
###*\~,,,, ,~\ 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..... ~~, ,~~\*¤#¶##
##¤\\~,,,, ,,,~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~,,, ,,,,~\\¤##
#*~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~*#
##¶#¤*\~~, ,~~\*¤#¶##
##¶#¤*\~~, ,~~\*¤#¶##
##*~~~,,,, ,,,,~~~*##
####¤*\~~, ,~~\*¤####