~~:=§@@### ###@@§=:~~
.~~:=§@@## ##@@§=:~~.
..~~:=§@@# #@@§=:~~..
...~~:=§@@ @@§=:~~...
....~~:=§@ @§=:~~....
.....~~:=§ ...~~~::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~~~... §=:~~.....
....~~:=§@ .~: 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..... ~~. @§=:~~....
...~~:=§@@ ...~~~::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~~~... @@§=:~~...
..~~:=§@@# #@@§=:~~..
.~~:=§@@## ##@@§=:~~.
~~:=§@@### ###@@§=:~~
.~~:=§@@## ##@@§=:~~.
..~~:=§@@# #@@§=:~~..