..~«^^@###                                          ###@^^«~..
...~«^^@##                                          ##@^^«~...
..~«^^@###                                          ###@^^«~..
.~«^^@####                                          ####@^^«~.
..~«^^@###                                          ###@^^«~..
...~«^^@## ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... ##@^^«~...
..~«^^@### .~^            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.....             ~«. ###@^^«~..
.~«^^@#### ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... ####@^^«~.
..~«^^@###                                          ###@^^«~..
...~«^^@##                                          ##@^^«~...
..~«^^@###                                          ###@^^«~..
.~«^^@####                                          ####@^^«~.
..~«^^@###                                          ###@^^«~..