,,,,,~=§@# #@§=~,,,,,
,,,---~§@# #@§~---,,,
,,,,,-=@££ ££@=-,,,,,
,-~~~=@@£# #£@@=~~~-,
,-~=§@@£## ##£@@§=~-,
,-~=§@@£## ,,,---============================---,,, ##£@@§=~-,
,-~=§@@£££ ,-= 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..... -~, ##£@@§=~-,
,-~=§@@£## ,,,---============================---,,, ##£@@§=~-,
,,,,,~=§§@ @§§=~,,,,,
,-~=§@@### ###@@§=~-,
,-~=§@@£## ##£@@§=~-,
,,,,~~=§§@ @§§=~~,,,,
,-~=§@@£## ##£@@§=~-,