,^-^=$££##                                          ##££$=^-^,
,,,^^===$#                                          #$===^^,,,
,^^^^^===£                                          £===^^^^^,
,^-^=$####                                          ####$=^-^,
,^-^=$£###                                          ###£$=^-^,
,^-^=$#### ,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,, ####$=^-^,
,^-^=$£### ,^^            THE  SPIRE            -^, ###£$=^-^,
,^-^=$£### -^^----------------------------------^-^ ###£$=^-^,
,,,,,,--=£ ^-^ 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 ^^- £=-,,,,,,,
,^-^=$£### ^^- OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A  ^-^ ###£$=^-^,
,^-^=$$£## ^^-  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  -^^ ##£$$=^-^,
,^-^=$£### ^-^-----------------------------------^^ ###£$=^-^,
,^-^=$£### -^^  IIRC  IT'S  CURRENTLY OWNED  BY ^-^ ###£$=^-^,
,,,,,^^^$£ -^^ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES ^^- £$^^^,,,,,
,^-^=$£### ^-^ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT  ^^- ###£$=^-^,
,,,^-===$£ ,^-            CARS.....             ^-, £$===-^,,,
,^-^=$£### ,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,, ###£$=^-^,
,,,,^-^^=£                                          £=^^-^,,,,
,^-^^=$££#                                          #££$=^^-^,
,^-^=$£###                                          ###£$=^-^,
,^-^=$£###                                          ###£$=^-^,
,,,,,-=£##                                          ##£=-,,,,,