&&&,,,&,,, ,,,,,,&,,&
&&,,&,,,&& &&&&&,,,,,
,,,,,,&,,& &&&&,,&&&,
&&&&&,,,,, &&&,,,,&,,
,&&&,,&&&& &&,,&&,,,,
,,&,,,,&&, ,,,:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::,,, &,,,,,,&&&
,,,,&&,,,, ,:^ 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..... :=, &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& ,,,:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::,,, &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&