,~=*^§¤¤## ##¤¤§^*=~,
,~=*^§¤### ###¤§^*=~,
,~=*^§¤### ###¤§^*=~,
,~=*^§¤### ###¤§^*=~,
,~=*^§¤### ###¤§^*=~,
,~=*^§¤¤¤¤ ,,,~~~****************************~~~,,, ¤¤¤¤§^*=~,
,~=*^§¤### ,~* 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..... ~=, #¤^**~~,,,
,~=*^§¤### ,,,~~~****************************~~~,,, ###¤§^*=~,
,~=*^§¤### ###¤§^*=~,
,,,,,~*§¤# #¤§*~,,,,,
,,,,==*^¤¤ ¤¤^*==,,,,
,,~==**§## ##§**==~,,
,~=*^§¤### ###¤§^*=~,