,^~\*£§#@#                                          #@#§£*\~^,
,^~\*£§#@#                                          #@#§£*\~^,
,^~\£§#@##                                          ##@#§£\~^,
,^~\*£§##@                                          @##§£*\~^,
,,,,,~\\£#                                          #£\\~,,,,,
,^~\*£§#@# ,,,^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^,,, #@#§£*\~^,
,^~\*£§#@# ,^\            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.....             ^~, #§§££*\~^,
,,,,^~*££# ,,,^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^,,, #££*~^,,,,
,,,,~\\*§§                                          §§*\\~,,,,
,^~\*£§#@#                                          #@#§£*\~^,
,,,,,,,~*§                                          §*~,,,,,,,
,^~\*£§#@#                                          #@#§£*\~^,
,,,,,,~*§#                                          #§*~,,,,,,