#@§%*^~,..                                          ..,~^*%§@#
##@§%*^~,.                                          .,~^*%§@##
#@§%*^~,..                                          ..,~^*%§@#
@§%*^~,...                                          ...,~^*%§@
§%*^~,....                                          ....,~^*%§
%*^~,..... ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... .....,~^*%
§%*^~,.... .,^            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.....             ,~. ....,~^*%§
@§%*^~,... ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... ...,~^*%§@
#@§%*^~,..                                          ..,~^*%§@#
##@§%*^~,.                                          .,~^*%§@##
#@§%*^~,..                                          ..,~^*%§@#
@§%*^~,...                                          ...,~^*%§@
§%*^~,....                                          ....,~^*%§