##@#$$\~^,                                          ,^~\$$#@##
##$$~^,,,,                                          ,,,,^~$$##
##@#$$\~^,                                          ,^~\$$#@##
#$$~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~$$#
#$$$$$\~^,                                          ,^~\$$$$$#
##@#$$\~^, ,,,^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^,,, ,^~\$$#@##
##@#$$\~^, ,^\            THE  SPIRE            ~\, ,^~\$$#@##
#@#$$$\~^, ~\^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\~^ ,^~\$$$#@#
@@##$$\~^, \~^ 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  ^\~ ,^~\$$#@##
#$$\^,,,,, ,^~             CARS.....            ^~, ,,,,,^\$$#
##$$$$\~^, ,,,^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^,,, ,^~\$$$$##
@#$~~~,,,,                                          ,,,,~~~$#@
##@#$$\~^,                                          ,^~\$$#@##
###@#$\~^,                                          ,^~\$#@###
##@#$$\~^,                                          ,^~\$$#@##
#$$\^^,,,,                                          ,,,,^^\$$#