:~=%$&#@##                                          ##@#&$%=~:
.:~=%$&#@#                                          #@#&$%=~:.
..:~=%$&#@                                          @#&$%=~:..
...:~=%$&#                                          #&$%=~:...
....:~=%$&                                          &$%=~:....
...:~=%$&# ...:::============================:::... #&$%=~:...
..:~=%$&#@ .:=            THE  SPIRE            ~=. @#&$%=~:..
.:~=%$&#@# ~=:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=~: #@#&$%=~:.
:~=%$&#@## =~: ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    =:~ ##@#&$%=~:
.:~=%$&#@# =:~ BENEVOLENT  SPIRE, TOWERING WELL :=~ #@#&$%=~:.
..:~=%$&#@ :=~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES.  IT WAS :~= @#&$%=~:..
...:~=%$&# :~= CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~:= #&$%=~:...
....:~=%$& ~:=       LIKED   A   MUSHROOM.      ~=: &$%=~:....
...:~=%$&# ~=:      WE  LOVED  IT  DEARLY.      =~: #&$%=~:...
..:~=%$&#@ =~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=:~ @#&$%=~:..
.:~=%$&#@# =:~ IT  PREDATED US BY MANY  YEARS,  :=~ #@#&$%=~:.
:~=%$&#@## :=~ AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL :~= ##@#&$%=~:
.:~=%$&#@# :~=  BUILDERS.  THEY  HAD USED  ITS  ~:= #@#&$%=~:.
..:~=%$&#@ ~:=  HOLLOW  BODY FOR  MANY STRANGE  ~=: @#&$%=~:..
...:~=%$&# ~=:  PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE  OF =~: #&$%=~:...
....:~=%$& =~: GESTATION,  A STORAGE OF STRAGE  =:~ &$%=~:....
...:~=%$&# =:~ FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF :=~ #&$%=~:...
..:~=%$&#@ :=~   ARCANE    DEITY.               :~= @#&$%=~:..
.:~=%$&#@# :~=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:= #@#&$%=~:.
:~=%$&#@## ~:=  WE  WERE  GRATEFUL   FOR  ITS   ~=: ##@#&$%=~:
.:~=%$&#@# ~=:  PRESENCE,  AND  HONORED IT THE  =~: #@#&$%=~:.
..:~=%$&#@ =~:  ONLY  WAY   WE  KNEW  HOW:  BY  =:~ @#&$%=~:..
...:~=%$&# .:~       BREAKING        IN.        :~. #&$%=~:...
....:~=%$& ...:::============================:::... &$%=~:....
...:~=%$&#                                          #&$%=~:...
..:~=%$&#@                                          @#&$%=~:..
.:~=%$&#@# ...:::============================:::... #@#&$%=~:.
:~=%$&#@## .~= THIS PLACE  WE  CALLED OUR CITY: :=~ ##@#&$%=~:
.:~=%$&#@# :=~  WAVY AND FRACTURED,  WITH EACH  =:~ #@#&$%=~:.
..:~=%$&#@ =:~ COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, =~: @#&$%=~:..
...:~=%$&# =~:  ROADS BECOMING  ROOFS BECOMING  ~=: #&$%=~:...
....:~=%$& ~=: DRAINS. AND  SOME PLACES,  LIKE  ~:= &$%=~:....
...:~=%$&# ~:= THE  SPIRE,  NOBODY HAD ACCESSED :~= #&$%=~:...
..:~=%$&#@ :~=  FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS  WALLS :=~ @#&$%=~:..
.:~=%$&#@# :=~  ARE  JUST  TOO HIGH,  AND  THE  =:~ #@#&$%=~:.
:~=%$&#@## =:~ INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, =~: ##@#&$%=~:
.:~=%$&#@# =~: A PLACE  AMONG OTHERS  IS EASILY ~=: #@#&$%=~:.
..:~=%$&#@ ~=:           OVERLOOKED.            :~= @#&$%=~:..
...:~=%$&# :~=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:=~ #&$%=~:...
....:~=%$& :=~ SO, BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER  THE  =:~ &$%=~:....
...:~=%$&# =:~ FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND ~:= #&$%=~:...
..:~=%$&#@ =~: CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR ~=: @#&$%=~:..
.:~=%$&#@# ~=: A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND ~:= #@#&$%=~:.
:~=%$&#@## ~:= PLAY MUSIC  ON  OUR HANDHELDS.   :~= ##@#&$%=~:
.:~=%$&#@# :~=  INSTEAD  WE FOUND  VAST  LUNGS  :=~ #@#&$%=~:.
..:~=%$&#@ :=~   DRAINED   OF  THEIR  CATALYST  =:~ @#&$%=~:..
...:~=%$&# =:~  SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO =~: #&$%=~:...
....:~=%$& =~: MAKE  SENSE  OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR ~=: &$%=~:....
...:~=%$&# ~=:        YEARS  TO   COME.         ~:= #&$%=~:...
..:~=%$&#@ ~:=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:~= @#&$%=~:..
.:~=%$&#@# :~= A  CENTRAL  SPINE,  A  STAIRCASE :=~ #@#&$%=~:.
:~=%$&#@## :=~  AROUND IT,  THE  SEVEN TOROIDAL =:~ ##@#&$%=~:
.:~=%$&#@# =:~ LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE,  AND  THE =~: #@#&$%=~:.
..:~=%$&#@ =~: CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS ~=: @#&$%=~:..
...:~=%$&# ~=: FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES ~:= #&$%=~:...
....:~=%$& ~:=  FOR  RADIATING   CONSCIOUSNESS  :~= &$%=~:....
...:~=%$&# .~=           INVITATIONS.           :=. #&$%=~:...
..:~=%$&#@ ...:::============================:::... @#&$%=~:..
.:~=%$&#@#                                          #@#&$%=~:.
:~=%$&#@## ...:::============================:::... ##@#&$%=~:
.:~=%$&#@# .:= IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS =~: #@#&$%=~:.
..:~=%$&#@ ~=: TOPPLED  AND EATEN BY  MACHINES. =:~ @#&$%=~:..
...:~=%$&# =~:  AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS :=~ #&$%=~:...
....:~=%$& =:~  CONJURED IN  ITS PLACE.  IT'S A :~= &$%=~:....
...:~=%$&# :=~ TINY MAW  AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN ~:= #&$%=~:...
..:~=%$&#@ :~= US,  AND  WE  LET  IT  BE.  OUR  ~=: @#&$%=~:..
.:~=%$&#@# ~:= JOURNEYS STILL  END AT ITS FEET. =~: #@#&$%=~:.
:~=%$&#@## ~=:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=:~ ##@#&$%=~:
.:~=%$&#@# =~: BUT  THEN WE ARE  BETRAYED. THE  :=~ #@#&$%=~:.
..:~=%$&#@ =:~ NEW TOWER EATS  US.  OTHERS ARE  :~= @#&$%=~:..
...:~=%$&# :=~ SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE ~:= #&$%=~:...
....:~=%$& :~=  MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT,  ONLY  TO ~=: &$%=~:....
...:~=%$&# ~:= DISAPPEAR IN THE  EVENING  FOG.  =~: #&$%=~:...
..:~=%$&#@ ~=: FOR  A WHILE ITS  SOME  KIND OF  =:~ @#&$%=~:..
.:~=%$&#@# =~: TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED :=~ #@#&$%=~:.
:~=%$&#@## =:~ OUTSIDE,  AND WE GET BEATEN UP A :~= ##@#&$%=~:
.:~=%$&#@# :=~  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  ~:= #@#&$%=~:.
..:~=%$&#@ :~=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=: @#&$%=~:..
...:~=%$&# ~:= IIRC IT'S  CURRENTLY  OWNED  BY  =~: #&$%=~:...
....:~=%$& ~=: SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES =:~ &$%=~:....
...:~=%$&# =~: IT  TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT :=~ #&$%=~:...
..:~=%$&#@ .:~            CARS.....             :~. @#&$%=~:..
.:~=%$&#@# ...:::============================:::... #@#&$%=~:.
:~=%$&#@##                                          ##@#&$%=~:
.:~=%$&#@#                                          #@#&$%=~:.
..:~=%$&#@                                          @#&$%=~:..
...:~=%$&#                                          #&$%=~:...
....:~=%$&                                          &$%=~:....