,,~:$§####                                          ####§$:~,,
,,,,,~%$§#                                          #§$%~,,,,,
,,~:%$§###                                          ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§###                                          ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§###                                          ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,,,,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,,,, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,,:            THE  SPIRE            ~:, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~:,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:~, ###§$%:~,,
,,,,,::$$§ :~, ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    :,~ §$$::,,,,,
,,~:%$§### :,~  BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ,:~ ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,:~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS  ,~: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,~: CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~,: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~,:      LIKED   A  MUSHROOM.        ~:, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~:,      WE  LOVED  IT  DEARLY.      :~, ###§$%:~,,
,,,,,,,~%§ :~,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:,~ §%~,,,,,,,
,,~:%$§### :,~ IT PREDATED US  BY  MANY  YEARS, ,:~ ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§§§# ,:~ AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ,~: #§§§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,~:  BUILDERS.  THEY  HAD USED  ITS  ~,: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§§## ~,: HOLLOW  BODY  FOR  MANY STRANGE  ~:, ##§§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~:, PURPOSES -  A WOMBLIKE  PLACE OF :~, ###§$%:~,,
,,,,,::%§# :~, 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. :,~ §%~,,,,,,,
,,,,,:$$$§ :~, AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW  IS ,:~ §$$$:,,,,,
,,~:%$§### :,~ CONJURED IN ITS  PLACE.  IT'S A  ,~: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,:~ TINY MAW AT FIRST,  SHORTER THAN ~,: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,~:  US,  AND  WE  LET  IT  BE. OUR  ~:, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§§§# ~,: JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS  FEET. :~, #§§§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~:,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:,~ ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### :~, BUT  THEN WE  ARE BETRAYED.  THE ,:~ ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### :,~ NEW TOWER  EATS  US. OTHERS ARE  ,~: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,:~ SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE ~,: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,~: MANIFESTED  OVERNIGHT, ONLY  TO  ~:, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~,:  DISAPPEAR  IN  THE EVENING FOG. :~, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~:, FOR  A  WHILE  ITS SOME KIND  OF :,~ ###§$%:~,,
,,,,,,,:$# :~, TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ,:~ #$:,,,,,,,
,,~:%$§### :,~ OUTSIDE,  AND WE GET BEATEN UP A ,~: ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$#### ,:~  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  ~,: ####$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~,:  IIRC  IT'S CURRENTLY  OWNED  BY :~, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ~:, SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES :,~ ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### :~, IT TO HOLD ALL HIS  FOURTY EIGHT ,:~ ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,,~             CARS.....            ,~, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§### ,,,,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,,,, ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§§§#                                          #§§§$%:~,,
,~:%$§####                                          ####§$%:~,
,,~:%$§§##                                          ##§§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§###                                          ###§$%:~,,
,,~:%$§###                                          ###§$%:~,,