&%%^=,.... ....,=^%%&
@&%%^=,... ...,=^%%&@
#@&%%^=,.. ..,=^%%&@#
##@&%%^=,. .,=^%%&@##
#@&%%^=,.. ..,=^%%&@#
@&%%^=,... ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... ...,=^%%&@
&%%^=,.... .,^ 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..... ,=. ........,=
^=,....... ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... .......,=^
%^=,...... ......,=^%
%%^=,..... .....,=^%%
&%%^=,.... ....,=^%%&
@&%%^=,... ...,=^%%&@
#@&%%^=,.. ..,=^%%&@#