.......~=^                                          ^=~.......
........~=                                          =~........
.........~                                          ~.........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
.......... ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... ..........
.......... .~^            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.....            ~=. *†^=~.....
....~=^†*# ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... #*†^=~....
...~=^†*#@                                          @#*†^=~...
..~=^†*#@#                                          #@#*†^=~..
.~=^†*#@##                                          ##@#*†^=~.
..~=^†*#@#                                          #@#*†^=~..
...~=^†*#@                                          @#*†^=~...