,.«†$¤####                                          ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤###                                          ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤####                                          ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤###                                          ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤####                                          ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### ,,,...††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...,,, ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### ,.†            THE  SPIRE            «†, ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### «†.««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««†«. ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### †«. ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    †.« ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### †.« BENEVOLENT SPIRE,  TOWERING WELL .†« ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### .†« ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT  WAS .«† ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### .«† CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED «.† ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### «.†       LIKED  A  MUSHROOM.        «†. ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### «†.      WE  LOVED  IT  DEARLY.      †«. ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### †«.««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««†.« ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### †.« IT  PREDATED  US BY MANY YEARS,  .†« ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### .†« AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL .«† ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### .«†  BUILDERS.  THEY  HAD  USED ITS  «.† ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### «.† HOLLOW  BODY  FOR MANY  STRANGE  «†. ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### «†.  PURPOSES - A  WOMBLIKE PLACE OF †«. ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### †«. GESTATION,  A STORAGE OF  STRAGE †.« ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### †.« FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF .†« ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### .†«   ARCANE    DEITY.               .«† ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### .«†«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««.† ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### «.†  WE  WERE   GRATEFUL  FOR  ITS   «†. ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### «†. PRESENCE,  AND  HONORED  IT  THE †«. ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### †«.   ONLY  WAY  WE  KNEW  HOW:  BY  †.« ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### ,.«        BREAKING        IN.       .«, ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### ,,,...††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...,,, ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤###                                          ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤####                                          ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### ,,,...††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...,,, ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### ,«† THIS PLACE  WE CALLED OUR CITY:  .†« ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### .†« WAVY AND  FRACTURED,  WITH EACH  †.« ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### †.« COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, †«. ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### †«.  ROADS BECOMING ROOFS  BECOMING  «†. ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### «†. DRAINS.  AND SOME  PLACES, LIKE  «.† ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### «.† THE  SPIRE,  NOBODY HAD ACCESSED .«† ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### .«†  FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS  .†« ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### .†«  ARE  JUST  TOO  HIGH,  AND THE  †.« ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### †.« INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, †«. ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### †«.  A PLACE AMONG OTHERS  IS EASILY «†. ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### «†.            OVERLOOKED.           .«† ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### .«†««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««.†« ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### .†«  SO, BASICALLY, THAT  SUMMER THE †.« ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### †.« FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND «.† ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### †«. CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR «†. ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### «†. A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND «.† ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### «.†  PLAY MUSIC ON  OUR  HANDHELDS.  .«† ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### .«†  INSTEAD  WE  FOUND  VAST LUNGS  .†« ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### .†«  DRAINED  OF   THEIR  CATALYST   †.« ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### †.« SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO  †«. ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### †«.  MAKE SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS  FOR «†. ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### «†.         YEARS  TO  COME.         «.† ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### «.†««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««.«† ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### .«†  A  CENTRAL SPINE,  A  STAIRCASE .†« ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### .†«  AROUND  IT, THE  SEVEN TOROIDAL †.« ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### †.«  LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE,  AND THE †«. ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### †«. CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS «†. ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### «†. FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES «.† ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### «.†   FOR  RADIATING  CONSCIOUSNESS  .«† ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### ,«†           INVITATIONS.           .†, ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### ,,,...††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...,,, ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤###                                          ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### ,,,...††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...,,, ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### ,.† IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS †«. ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### «†. TOPPLED AND EATEN BY  MACHINES.  †.« ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### †«. AFTER A  WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS .†« ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### †.«  CONJURED IN ITS  PLACE. IT'S A  .«† ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### .†« TINY MAW  AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN «.† ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### .«†  US,  AND  WE  LET  IT BE.  OUR  «†. ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### «.† JOURNEYS STILL END AT  ITS FEET. †«. ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### «†.««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««†.« ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### †«.  BUT THEN WE  ARE  BETRAYED. THE .†« ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### †.« NEW TOWER EATS  US.  OTHERS  ARE .«† ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### .†« SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE «.† ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### .«† MANIFESTED  OVERNIGHT, ONLY  TO  «†. ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### «.† DISAPPEAR  IN THE  EVENING FOG.  †«. ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### «†. FOR  A WHILE ITS  SOME  KIND  OF †.« ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### †«. TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED .†« ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### †.« OUTSIDE, AND WE GET  BEATEN UP A .«† ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### .†«  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  «.† ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### .«†«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««†. ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### «.†  IIRC  IT'S  CURRENTLY  OWNED BY †«. ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### «†. SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES †.« ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### †«. IT TO HOLD ALL  HIS FOURTY EIGHT .†« ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤#### ,.«            CARS.....             .«, ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤### ,,,...††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...,,, ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤####                                          ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤###                                          ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤####                                          ####¤$†«.,
,,.«†$¤###                                          ###¤$†«.,,
,.«†$¤####                                          ####¤$†«.,