,:~=*§§§£#                                          #£§§§*=~:,
,:~=*§£###                                          ###£§*=~:,
,:~=*§§§##                                          ##§§§*=~:,
,,,:=*§§##                                          ##§§*=:,,,
:~=*§£####                                          ####£§*=~:
,,,,:~~~*£ ,,,:::============================:::,,, £*~~~:,,,,
,:~=*§£### ,:=            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.....             :~, ###£§*=~:,
,:~=*§£### ,,,:::============================:::,,, ###£§*=~:,
,:~=*§£###                                          ###£§*=~:,
,:~=*§£###                                          ###£§*=~:,
,:~=*§£###                                          ###£§*=~:,
,,,,,:~*§#                                          #§*~:,,,,,
,:~=*§££££                                          ££££§*=~:,