,^=/^%%%%¤ ¤%%%%^/=^,
,^=/^%¤¶¶¶ ¶¶¶¤%^/=^,
,^=/^%¤¶## ##¶¤%^/=^,
,^=/^%¤¶## ##¶¤%^/=^,
,^=/^%¤¶## ##¶¤%^/=^,
,^=/^%¤### ,,,^^^////////////////////////////^^^,,, ###¤%^/=^,
,,,,,^=^^¤ ,^/ 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..... ^=, ##¶¤%^/=^,
,^=/^%¤### ,,,^^^////////////////////////////^^^,,, ###¤%^/=^,
,^=///^¤¤¤ ¤¤¤^///=^,
,^=/^¤¶### ###¶¤^/=^,
,,,^=//^%¶ ¶%^//=^,,,
,,,^==//^¤ ¤^//==^,,,
,,,,,^/%¤¶ ¶¤%/^,,,,,