,,,,,,~:%§                                          §%:~,,,,,,
,,~:%§@###                                          ###@§%:~,,
,,~:%§§§§@                                          @§§§§%:~,,
,,~:%§@###                                          ###@§%:~,,
,,~:%§§@##                                          ##@§§%:~,,
,,~::::§§@ ,,,,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,,,, @§§::::~,,
,,,,~::§§§ ,,:            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.....             ,~, ###@§§%~,,
,,~:%§§@## ,,,,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,,,, ##@§§%:~,,
,,~:%§§@##                                          ##@§§%:~,,
,,~:%§§@##                                          ##@§§%:~,,
,,,,,,~%§@                                          @§%~,,,,,,
,,~:%§§§§@                                          @§§§§%:~,,
,,,,,~:§§§                                          §§§:~,,,,,