.:«/$%£££#                                          #£££%$/«:.
.:«/$%£#@#                                          #@#£%$/«:.
.:«/$%£#@#                                          #@#£%$/«:.
.:«/$%£#@#                                          #@#£%$/«:.
....::«/%£                                          £%/«::....
.:«/$%£@## ...:::////////////////////////////:::... ##@£%$/«:.
.:«/$%£#@# .:/            THE  SPIRE            «/. #@#£%$/«:.
....:://%# «/:««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««/«: #%//::....
.:«/$%£### /«: ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    /:« ###£%$/«:.
......«/%# /:« 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.....             :«. #££%//««:.
....://%££ ...:::////////////////////////////:::... ££%//:....
.:«/$%£#@#                                          #@#£%$/«:.
......:/$£                                          £$/:......
...::«/$$£                                          £$$/«::...
.:«/$%£###                                          ###£%$/«:.
.:«/$%££#@                                          @#££%$/«:.