@§&=^=,...                                          ...,=^=&§@
#@§&=^=,..                                          ..,=^=&§@#
##@§&=^=,.                                          .,=^=&§@##
#@§&=^=,..                                          ..,=^=&§@#
@§&=^=,...                                          ...,=^=&§@
§&=^=,.... ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... ....,=^=&§
&=^=,..... .,^            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.....            ,=. .,=^=&§@##
#@§&=^=,.. ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... ..,=^=&§@#
@§&=^=,...                                          ...,=^=&§@
§&=^=,....                                          ....,=^=&§
&=^=,.....                                          .....,=^=&
=^=,......                                          ......,=^=
^=,.......                                          .......,=^