.-~^§#£###                                          ###£#§^~-.
..-~^§#£##                                          ##£#§^~-..
.-~^§#£###                                          ###£#§^~-.
..-~^§#£##                                          ##£#§^~-..
.-~^§#£###                                          ###£#§^~-.
..-~^§#£## ...---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---... ##£#§^~-..
.-~^§#£### .-^            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.....             -~. ###£#§^~-.
..-~^§#£## ...---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---... ##£#§^~-..
.-~^§#£###                                          ###£#§^~-.
..-~^§#£##                                          ##£#§^~-..
.-~^§#£###                                          ###£#§^~-.
..-~^§#£##                                          ##£#§^~-..
.-~^§#£###                                          ###£#§^~-.