&&&....&.. .....&&&..
.&..&&...& &&&&..&...
.......&.. &&&.....&&
.&&&&&.... &&..&&&...
..&&&..&&& &....&..&&
...&....&. ...,,,============================,,,... ..&&......
&&...&&... .,= 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..... ,=. &..&&.....
&&....&&.. ...,,,============================,,,... ......&&&&
&..&&....& .&&&&..&&&
......&&.. ..&&....&&
.&&&&....& &....&&...
..&&..&&.. ..&&....&&
.........& .....&&...