##@&%*=«^,                                          ,^«=*%&@##
##@&%*=«^,                                          ,^«=*%&@##
@&***==«^,                                          ,^«==***&@
##@&%*=«^,                                          ,^«=*%&@##
&%=«^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^«=%&
##@&%*=«^, ,,,^^^============================^^^,,, ,^«=*%&@##
##@&%*=«^, ,^=            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.....             ^«, ,^«=*%&@##
&&%=«,,,,, ,,,^^^============================^^^,,, ,,,,,«=%&&
&**«,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,«**&
##@&%*=«^,                                          ,^«=*%&@##
&*=««^,,,,                                          ,,,,^««=*&
##@&%*=«^,                                          ,^«=*%&@##
@@%**«^^^,                                          ,^^^«**%@@