,^~*$$#@## ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ##@#$$*~^,
,,,^****$# #$****^,,,
,^~*$$#@## ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ##@#$$*~^,
,,,~**$$## ,,,^^^****************************^^^,,, ##$$**~,,,
,^~*$$#@## ,^* THE SPIRE ~*, ##@#$$*~^,
,,,,~***$# ~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~^ #$***~,,,,
,,,^***$#@ *~^ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A *^~ @#$***^,,,
,^~*$$#@## *^~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ^*~ ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ^*~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ^~* ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$#@### ^~* CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~^* ###@#$*~^,
,,^~~*$$@# ~^* LIKED A MUSHROOM. ~*^ #@$$*~~^,,
,,,,^*$##@ ~*^ WE LOVED IT DEARLY. *~^ @##$*^,,,,
,^~***$$@@ *~^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*^~ @@$$***~^,
,^~*$$#@## *^~ IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, ^*~ ##@#$$*~^,
,,,,,,~~$# ^*~ AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ^~* #$~~,,,,,,
,,^^^**$#@ ^~* BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS ~^* @#$**^^^,,
,^~*$$@### ~^* HOLLOW BODY FOR MANY STRANGE ~*^ ###@$$*~^,
,^~*$#@### ~*^ PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE OF *~^ ###@#$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## *~^ GESTATION, A STORAGE OF STRAGE *^~ ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## *^~ FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF ^*~ ##@#$$*~^,
,,,,,~~*$@ ^*~ ARCANE DEITY. ^~* @$*~~,,,,,
,^~*$$#@## ^~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^* ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ~^* WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS ~*^ ##@#$$*~^,
,,,,,,,~$# ~*^ PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE *~^ #$~,,,,,,,
,^~*$$#@## *~^ ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY *^~ ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$@### ,^~ BREAKING IN. ^~, ###@$$*~^,
,,,^^~$$$# ,,,^^^****************************^^^,,, #$$$~^^,,,
,^~*$$#@## ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$###@ @###$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ,,,^^^****************************^^^,,, ##@#$$*~^,
,,,,,^~$#@ ,~* THIS PLACE WE CALLED OUR CITY: ^*~ @#$~^,,,,,
,^~*$$#@## ^*~ WAVY AND FRACTURED, WITH EACH *^~ ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## *^~ COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, *~^ ##@#$$*~^,
,,,,,^~$## *~^ ROADS BECOMING ROOFS BECOMING ~*^ ##$~^,,,,,
,^~*$$#@## ~*^ DRAINS. AND SOME PLACES, LIKE ~^* ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ~^* THE SPIRE, NOBODY HAD ACCESSED ^~* ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ^~* FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS ^*~ ##@#$$*~^,
,^~***$##@ ^*~ ARE JUST TOO HIGH, AND THE *^~ @##$***~^,
,,,,,~*$## *^~ INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, *~^ ##$*~,,,,,
,^~*$$#@## *~^ A PLACE AMONG OTHERS IS EASILY ~*^ ##@#$$*~^,
,,,,^^^*$@ ~*^ OVERLOOKED. ^~* @$*^^^,,,,
,^*$$#@### ^~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^*~ ###@#$$*^,
,^~*$$#@## ^*~ SO, BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER THE *^~ ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## *^~ FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND ~^* ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## *~^ CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR ~*^ ##@#$$*~^,
,^~***$$$# ~*^ A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND ~^* #$$$***~^,
,^~*$$#@## ~^* PLAY MUSIC ON OUR HANDHELDS. ^~* ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#### ^~* INSTEAD WE FOUND VAST LUNGS ^*~ ####$$*~^,
,^~*$#@### ^*~ DRAINED OF THEIR CATALYST *^~ ###@#$*~^,
,^~*$#@### *^~ SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO *~^ ###@#$*~^,
,^~*$$#### *~^ MAKE SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR ~*^ ####$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ~*^ YEARS TO COME. ~^* ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ~^*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^~* ##@#$$*~^,
,,,,^^^*$# ^~* A CENTRAL SPINE, A STAIRCASE ^*~ #$*^^^,,,,
,^~*$$##@# ^*~ AROUND IT, THE SEVEN TOROIDAL *^~ #@##$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@@@ *^~ LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE, AND THE *~^ @@@#$$*~^,
,,,,,~$$#@ *~^ CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS ~*^ @#$$~,,,,,
,,,,^^~$$@ ~*^ FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES ~^* @$$~^^,,,,
,^~*$$#@## ~^* FOR RADIATING CONSCIOUSNESS ^~* ##@#$$*~^,
,,,,^*$#@# ,~* INVITATIONS. ^*, #@#$*^,,,,
,,^^~**$@@ ,,,^^^****************************^^^,,, @@$**~^^,,
,^~*$$#@## ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ,,,^^^****************************^^^,,, ##@#$$*~^,
,,^^***$## ,^* IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS *~^ ##$***^^,,
,^~*$$@### ~*^ TOPPLED AND EATEN BY MACHINES. *^~ ###@$$*~^,
,,,^^*$#@@ *~^ AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS ^*~ @@#$*^^,,,
,,,^~~~~$# *^~ CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A ^~* #$~~~~^,,,
,,,,^~**$# ^*~ TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN ~^* #$**~^,,,,
,^~*$$#@## ^~* US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR ~*^ ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ~^* JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. *~^ ##@#$$*~^,
,,,,,,~$$# ~*^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*^~ #$$~,,,,,,
,,,,^^*$$# *~^ BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE ^*~ #$$*^^,,,,
,^~*$$#@@# *^~ NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE ^~* #@@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$###@ ^*~ SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE ~^* @###$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ^~* MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO ~*^ ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ~^* DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. *~^ ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ~*^ FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF *^~ ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#### *~^ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ^*~ ####$$*~^,
,^~*$$#### *^~ OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A ^~* ####$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ^*~ FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. ~^* ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ^~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*^ ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$$### ~^* IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY *~^ ###$$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ~*^ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES *^~ ##@#$$*~^,
,,,,,^~$#@ *~^ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ^*~ @#$~^,,,,,
,^~*$$$$$# ,^~ CARS..... ^~, #$$$$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@@# ,,,^^^****************************^^^,,, #@@#$$*~^,
,^~*$#@### ###@#$*~^,
,,,,,,^*$# #$*^,,,,,,
,^~*$$#@## ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ##@#$$*~^,
,^~*$$#@## ##@#$$*~^,