,,,,,,,«%&                                          &%«,,,,,,,
,^«/%$&@@@                                          @@@&$%/«^,
,,,^/%$&&&                                          &&&$%/^,,,
,,,,«/%%$&                                          &$%%/«,,,,
,^««/%$&&&                                          &&&$%/««^,
,,,^^//%&@ ,,,^^^////////////////////////////^^^,,, @&%//^^,,,
,^««««//$& ,^/            THE  SPIRE            «/, &$//««««^,
,^^^///$@@ «/^««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««/«^ @@$///^^^,
,^«/%$&@@@ /«^ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    /^« @@@&$%/«^,
,,,,^^/%&@ /^« 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  /^« &%//^,,,,,
,^«/%$&@@@ /«^ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ^/« @@@&$%/«^,
,^«/%$&@@# /^« OUTSIDE, AND WE  GET BEATEN UP A ^«/ #@@&$%/«^,
,^«/%$&@@@ ^/«  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  «^/ @@@&$%/«^,
,^«/%$&@@@ ^«/«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««/^ @@@&$%/«^,
,,,,«%%%$& «^/  IIRC  IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED  BY  /«^ &$%%%«,,,,
,,,,««%$@@ «/^ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES /^« @@$%««,,,,
,^«/%$@@## /«^ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT  ^/« ##@@$%/«^,
,^«/%%$$&& ,^«             CARS.....            ^«, &&$$%%/«^,
,^«/%$&@@@ ,,,^^^////////////////////////////^^^,,, @@@&$%/«^,
,,,^«/$&&&                                          &&&$/«^,,,
,^«/%$&@@#                                          #@@&$%/«^,
,^«/%$&@@#                                          #@@&$%/«^,
,^«/%$&@@#                                          #@@&$%/«^,
,^«/%$&@@#                                          #@@&$%/«^,