.....^-=*%                                          %*=-^.....
......^-=*                                          *=-^......
.......^-=                                          =-^.......
........^-                                          -^........
.......^-=                                          =-^.......
......^-=* ...^^^============================^^^... *=-^......
.....^-=*% .^=            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.....             ^-. =-^.......
........^- ...^^^============================^^^... -^........
.......^-=                                          =-^.......
......^-=*                                          *=-^......
.....^-=*%                                          %*=-^.....
....^-=*%@                                          @%*=-^....
...^-=*%@£                                          £@%*=-^...