,^~\^$@#@# #@#@$^\~^,
,,^~\^$@#@ @#@$^\~^,,
,,,^~\^$@# #@$^\~^,,,
,,,,^~\^$@ @$^\~^,,,,
,,,,,^~\^$ $^\~^,,,,,
,,,,,,^~\^ ,,,^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^,,, ^\~^,,,,,,
,,,,,^~\^$ ,^\ 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..... ^~, $^\~^,,,,,
,,,,^~\^$@ ,,,^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^,,, @$^\~^,,,,
,,,^~\^$@# #@$^\~^,,,
,,^~\^$@#@ @#@$^\~^,,
,^~\^$@#@# #@#@$^\~^,
,,^~\^$@#@ @#@$^\~^,,
,,,^~\^$@# #@$^\~^,,,