....~/*$## ##$*/~....
.~~/*$@### ###@$*/~~.
......~*$# #$*~......
.~~/*$@### ###@$*/~~.
.~~/*$@### ###@$*/~~.
.~~/*$@### ...~~~////////////////////////////~~~... ###@$*/~~.
.~~/*$@@## .~/ THE SPIRE ~/. ##@@$*/~~.
.~~/*$@### ~/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/~~ ###@$*/~~.
.~~///$@@# /~~ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A /~~ #@@$///~~.
.~~/*$$$@@ /~~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ~/~ @@$$$*/~~.
....~~/$$# ~/~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ~~/ #$$/~~....
.~~/*$@### ~~/ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~~/ ###@$*/~~.
.~~/*$@### ~~/ LIKED A MUSHROOM. ~/~ ###@$*/~~.
....~~**@@ ~/~ 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 /~~ @*~~......
.~~/*$@### /~~ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ~/~ ###@$*/~~.
.~~/*$@### .~~ CARS..... ~~. ###@$*/~~.
.~~/***$$# ...~~~////////////////////////////~~~... #$$***/~~.
.~~/*$@@## ##@@$*/~~.
......~/$# #$/~......
.~~/*$@### ###@$*/~~.
.~~/*$$@## ##@$$*/~~.
.~~/*$@### ###@$*/~~.