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