..^=;=£@## ##@£=;=^..
.^=;=£@### ###@£=;=^.
..^=;=£@## ##@£=;=^..
...^=;=£@# #@£=;=^...
....^=;=£@ @£=;=^....
.....^=;=£ ...^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^... £=;=^.....
......^=;= .^; 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..... ^=. ..........
.......... ...^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^... ..........
.......... ..........
.........^ ^.........
........^= =^........
.......^=; ;=^.......
......^=;= =;=^......