,,===;@@@# #@@@;===,,
,,=;^@#@## ##@#@^;=,,
,,,,,,;@#@ @#@;,,,,,,
,,=;^@#### ####@^;=,,
,,=;^@#¶@@ @@¶#@^;=,,
,,=;^^@@@# ,,,,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,,,, #@@@^^;=,,
,,,,,=;@¶@ ,,; 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..... ,=, @@¶#@^;=,,
,,,,,,=^@¶ ,,,,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,,,, ¶@^=,,,,,,
,,,,==;^^# #^^;==,,,,
,,,,,,=^## ##^=,,,,,,
,,==;^@@@# #@@@^;==,,
,,,,,,,=^# #^=,,,,,,,
,,,,,;^@¶@ @¶@^;,,,,,