,^~/§£¤#@#                                          #@#¤£§/~^,
,^~/§£¤¤¤#                                          #¤¤¤£§/~^,
,^~/§£¤#@#                                          #@#¤£§/~^,
,^~/§£¤@##                                          ##@¤£§/~^,
,^~/§£¤#@#                                          #@#¤£§/~^,
,^~////§¤@ ,,,^^^////////////////////////////^^^,,, @¤§////~^,
,^/§£¤#@## ,^/            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.....            ^~, #£/~~,,,,,
,,,^^~~/§¤ ,,,^^^////////////////////////////^^^,,, ¤§/~~^^,,,
,^~/§£¤#@#                                          #@#¤£§/~^,
,^^~~~~§¤@                                          @¤§~~~~^^,
,^~/§£¤###                                          ###¤£§/~^,
,,,,^~~~§¤                                          ¤§~~~^,,,,
,^~/§£¤¤¤#                                          #¤¤¤£§/~^,