,,~^%*£@##                                          ##@£*%^~,,
,,,~^%*£@#                                          #@£*%^~,,,
,,,,~^%*£@                                          @£*%^~,,,,
,,,,,~^%*£                                          £*%^~,,,,,
,,,,,,~^%*                                          *%^~,,,,,,
,,,,,~^%*£ ,,,,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,,,, £*%^~,,,,,
,,,,~^%*£@ ,,^            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.....            ,~, @£*%^~,,,,
,,,~^%*£@# ,,,,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,,,, #@£*%^~,,,
,,~^%*£@##                                          ##@£*%^~,,
,,,~^%*£@#                                          #@£*%^~,,,
,,,,~^%*£@                                          @£*%^~,,,,
,,,,,~^%*£                                          £*%^~,,,,,
,,,,,,~^%*                                          *%^~,,,,,,