....^-/§$@ @$§/-^....
.....^-/§$ $§/-^.....
......^-/§ §/-^......
.......^-/ /-^.......
......^-/§ §/-^......
.....^-/§$ ...^^^////////////////////////////^^^... $§/-^.....
....^-/§$@ .^/ 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 ^/- $§/-^.....
......^-/§ .^- CARS..... ^-. §/-^......
.......^-/ ...^^^////////////////////////////^^^... /-^.......
......^-/§ §/-^......
.....^-/§$ $§/-^.....
....^-/§$@ @$§/-^....
...^-/§$@@ @@$§/-^...
..^-/§$@@# #@@$§/-^..