,-~^%@@¶##                                          ##¶@@%^~-,
,-~^%@@¶##                                          ##¶@@%^~-,
-~^%@@¶###                                          ###¶@@%^~-
,-~^%@¶###                                          ###¶@%^~-,
,-~^%@@¶##                                          ##¶@@%^~-,
,,,--^@@¶# ,,,---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---,,, #¶@@^--,,,
,-~^@@¶### ,-^            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.....            -~, @@%%~,,,,,
,-~^%@@¶## ,,,---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---,,, ##¶@@%^~-,
,,,-^^@@¶#                                          #¶@@^^-,,,
,,,,-~%%@@                                          @@%%~-,,,,
,,,,~%%%%@                                          @%%%%~,,,,
,-~^%@@¶##                                          ##¶@@%^~-,
,-~^%@@¶##                                          ##¶@@%^~-,