&^«~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~«^&
^«~,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,~«^
«~,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,~«
^«~,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,~«^
&^«~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~«^&
@&^«~,,,,, ,,,~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~,,, ,,,,,~«^&@
@@&^«~,,,, ,~^            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.....             ~«, ,,,,,,,,~«
^«~,,,,,,, ,,,~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~,,, ,,,,,,,~«^
&^«~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~«^&
@&^«~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~«^&@
@@&^«~,,,,                                          ,,,,~«^&@@
@@@&^«~,,,                                          ,,,~«^&@@@
#@@@&^«~,,                                          ,,~«^&@@@#