,.~/$¤&###                                          ###&¤$/~.,
,,,,.//$$&                                          &$$//.,,,,
,.~/$¤&###                                          ###&¤$/~.,
,,,,~//¤&&                                          &&¤//~,,,,
,.~/$¤¤¤¤#                                          #¤¤¤¤$/~.,
,.~/$¤&### ,,,...////////////////////////////...,,, ###&¤$/~.,
,,,,./¤&&# ,./            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 ~./ #&¤$$$/~.,
,,,~~$$$$& .~/  US,  AND  WE  LET  IT  BE.  OUR ~/. &$$$$~~,,,
,.~/$¤&### ~./ JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS  FEET. /~. ###&¤$/~.,
,,..~/¤¤¤# ~/.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/.~ #¤¤¤/~..,,
,.~/$¤&### /~. BUT  THEN WE ARE BETRAYED.  THE  ./~ ###&¤$/~.,
,.~/$¤&### /.~ NEW TOWER  EATS  US. OTHERS ARE  .~/ ###&¤$/~.,
,.~/$¤&### ./~ SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE ~./ ###&¤$/~.,
,,,,,,./¤& .~/ MANIFESTED  OVERNIGHT, ONLY  TO  ~/. &¤/.,,,,,,
,,,,.///$& ~./  DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING  FOG.  /~. &$///.,,,,
,.~/$¤&### ~/. FOR A WHILE  ITS SOME  KIND  OF  /.~ ###&¤$/~.,
,.~/$¤&### /~. TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ./~ ###&¤$/~.,
,.~/$¤&### /.~  OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A .~/ ###&¤$/~.,
,,,,,~$¤¤# ./~  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  ~./ #¤¤$~,,,,,
,.~/$¤&### .~/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/. ###&¤$/~.,
,,,,,./¤&& ~./  IIRC  IT'S  CURRENTLY OWNED  BY /~. &&¤/.,,,,,
,,,..//$¤& ~/. SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES /.~ &¤$//..,,,
,.~/$¤&### /~. IT TO HOLD ALL HIS  FOURTY EIGHT ./~ ###&¤$/~.,
,.~/$$$$&& ,.~             CARS.....            .~, &&$$$$/~.,
,,,,,,./$& ,,,...////////////////////////////...,,, &$/.,,,,,,
,,,,.~/$&#                                          #&$/~.,,,,
,,,,,~/$&#                                          #&$/~,,,,,
,,..///¤&#                                          #&¤///..,,
,.~/$¤&###                                          ###&¤$/~.,
,,,,~~~~$&                                          &$~~~~,,,,