#,,,#,,#,, ,#,,###,,#
#,,##,##,, ##,#,,#,#,
#,#,##,#,# ,###,#####
####,##### #,,##,,,,,
,,,##,,,,, #,#,#,,,,#
,,#,#,,,,# ,,,^^^============================^^^,,, #####,,,##
,####,,,## ,^= 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..... ^~, #####,#,##
#####,,,,, ,,,^^^============================^^^,,, ,,,,####,,
,,,,#,,,,, ,,,#,,,#,#
,,,##,,,,# ,,##,,####
,,#,#,,,## ,#,#,#,,,#
,####,,#,, ######,,##
#,,,#,##,, ,,,,,#,#,#