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