....:~§§#@ @#§§~:....
.....~*§$# #$§*~.....
.:~*§$@@## ##@@$§*~:.
.....~*$$@ @$$*~.....
.:~*§$###@ @###$§*~:.
.:~*§$#@@# ...:::****************************:::... #@@#$§*~:.
.:~*§$@@## .:* THE SPIRE ~*. ##@@$§*~:.
......~*$@ ~*:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~: @$*~......
.:~*§$#@@@ *~: ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A *:~ @@@#$§*~:.
:~*§$#@@## *:~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL :*~ ##@@#$§*~:
......~§#@ :*~ 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. ~:* #§§*~.....
.:~~~*$##@ :~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*: @##$*~~~:.
.:~*§$#@## ~:* IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY *~: ##@#$§*~:.
....:~§§$# ~*: SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES *:~ #$§§~:....
..:::~*§$@ *~: IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT :*~ @$§*~:::..
:~*§$#@@## .:~ CARS..... :~. ##@@#$§*~:
.:~*§$#@@# ...:::****************************:::... #@@#$§*~:.
....:~§#@@ @@#§~:....
.....:*§$# #$§*:.....
.:~*§$#@@# #@@#$§*~:.
.:~*§$@@## ##@@$§*~:.
.:~*§§§### ###§§§*~:.