....:~*$$# #$$*~:....
.....:~*$$ $$*~:.....
......:~*$ $*~:......
.....:~*$$ $$*~:.....
....:~*$$# #$$*~:....
...:~*$$## ...:::****************************:::... ##$$*~:...
..:~*$$### .:* THE SPIRE ~*. ###$$*~:..
.:~*$$#### ~*:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~: ####$$*~:.
..:~*$$### *~: ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A *:~ ###$$*~:..
...:~*$$## *:~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL :*~ ##$$*~:...
....:~*$$# :*~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS :~* #$$*~:....
.....:~*$$ :~* CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~:* $$*~:.....
......:~*$ ~:* 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 ~*: $*~:......
.....:~*$$ ~*: YEARS TO COME. ~:* $$*~:.....
....:~*$$# ~:*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:~* #$$*~:....
...:~*$$## :~* A CENTRAL SPINE, A STAIRCASE :*~ ##$$*~:...
..:~*$$### :*~ AROUND IT, THE SEVEN TOROIDAL *:~ ###$$*~:..
.:~*$$#### *:~ LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE, AND THE *~: ####$$*~:.
..:~*$$### *~: CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS ~*: ###$$*~:..
...:~*$$## ~*: FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES ~:* ##$$*~:...
....:~*$$# ~:* FOR RADIATING CONSCIOUSNESS :~* #$$*~:....
.....:~*$$ .~* INVITATIONS. :*. $$*~:.....
......:~*$ ...:::****************************:::... $*~:......
.....:~*$$ $$*~:.....
....:~*$$# ...:::****************************:::... #$$*~:....
...:~*$$## .:* IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS *~: ##$$*~:...
..:~*$$### ~*: TOPPLED AND EATEN BY MACHINES. *:~ ###$$*~:..
.:~*$$#### *~: AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS :*~ ####$$*~:.
..:~*$$### *:~ CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A :~* ###$$*~:..
...:~*$$## :*~ TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN ~:* ##$$*~:...
....:~*$$# :~* US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR ~*: #$$*~:....
.....:~*$$ ~:* JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. *~: $$*~:.....
......:~*$ ~*:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*:~ $*~:......
.....:~*$$ *~: BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE :*~ $$*~:.....
....:~*$$# *:~ NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE :~* #$$*~:....
...:~*$$## :*~ SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE ~:* ##$$*~:...
..:~*$$### :~* MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO ~*: ###$$*~:..
.:~*$$#### ~:* DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. *~: ####$$*~:.
..:~*$$### ~*: FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF *:~ ###$$*~:..
...:~*$$## *~: TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED :*~ ##$$*~:...
....:~*$$# *:~ OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A :~* #$$*~:....
.....:~*$$ :*~ FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. ~:* $$*~:.....
......:~*$ :~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*: $*~:......
.....:~*$$ ~:* IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY *~: $$*~:.....
....:~*$$# ~*: SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES *:~ #$$*~:....
...:~*$$## *~: IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT :*~ ##$$*~:...
..:~*$$### .:~ CARS..... :~. ###$$*~:..
.:~*$$#### ...:::****************************:::... ####$$*~:.
..:~*$$### ###$$*~:..
...:~*$$## ##$$*~:...
....:~*$$# #$$*~:....
.....:~*$$ $$*~:.....
......:~*$ $*~:......