@%%/~~~...                                          ...~~~/%%@
#§%%%^/~:.                                          .:~/^%%%§#
#@§%^^/~:.                                          .:~/^^%§@#
##@§%^/~:.                                          .:~/^%§@##
##@§%^/~:.                                          .:~/^%§@##
#§§§%^/~:. ...:::////////////////////////////:::... .:~/^%§§§#
##@§%^/~:. .:/            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.....             :~. ....~/%%%§
#@@§%^/~:. ...:::////////////////////////////:::... .:~/^%§@@#
§§%%/~~...                                          ...~~/%%§§
###@§%/~:.                                          .:~/%§@###
@§§§%^/~:.                                          .:~/^%§§§@
##@§%^/~:.                                          .:~/^%§@##
##@§%^/~:.                                          .:~/^%§@##