#@¶¤£†:~^.                                          .^~:†£¤¶@#
@¶£:^.....                                          .....^:£¶@
¶¶£†~~^...                                          ...^~~†£¶¶
¶¶¤¤£†:~^.                                          .^~:†£¤¤¶¶
@¶¤¤£†:~^.                                          .^~:†£¤¤¶@
##@¶¤£†~^. ...^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^... .^~†£¤¶@##
¤†~^...... .^:            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.....             ^~. ...^~:†††¤
¶¤£:~^.... ...^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^... ....^~:£¤¶
##@¤£†:~^.                                          .^~:†£¤@##
##@¶£†:~^.                                          .^~:†£¶@##
¤¤††~.....                                          .....~††¤¤
#@¶¤£†:~^.                                          .^~:†£¤¶@#
@¶¤£†::~^.                                          .^~::†£¤¶@