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