###&$*^=~. .~=^*$##
#&$**^~... ...~^**$
#$**^~~~~. .~~~~^**$#
#$**^=~... ...~=^**$#
###&$*^=~. .~=^*$##
###&$*^=~. ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... .~=^*$##
##$^==.... .~^ THE SPIRE =^. ....==^$##
###&$*^=~. =^~==================================^=~ .~=^*$##
###&$*^=~. ^=~ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A ^~= .~=^*$##
####&$*^=~ ^~= BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ~^= ~=^*$###
###&$*^=~. ~^= ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ~=^ .~=^*$##
###&$*^=~. ~=^ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED =~^ .~=^*$##
###&$*^=~. =~^ LIKED A MUSHROOM. =^~ .~=^*$##
&**^^=.... =^~ 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 ~^= .~===^^^*&
###&$*^=~. .~= CARS..... ~=. .~=^*$##
###&$*^=~. ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... .~=^*$##
####&$*^=. .=^*$###
#&$*=~.... ....~=*$
###&$*^=~. .~=^*$##
###&$*^=~. .~=^*$##
&*==...... ......==*&