,,-†§&&###                                          ###&&§†-,,
,,,,,-§§&&                                          &&§§-,,,,,
,,-†§&&###                                          ###&&§†-,,
,,-†§&&###                                          ###&&§†-,,
,,-†§&####                                          ####&§†-,,
,,-†§&&### ,,,,,,††††††††††††††††††††††††††††,,,,,, ###&&§†-,,
,,,,,,††&# ,,†            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.....            ,-, &&§§†,,,,,
,,---†&&&# ,,,,,,††††††††††††††††††††††††††††,,,,,, #&&&†---,,
,,,,,-†&##                                          ##&†-,,,,,
,,-†§&&###                                          ###&&§†-,,
,,-†§&&###                                          ###&&§†-,,
,,-†§&&&&#                                          #&&&&§†-,,
,,--†††&&#                                          #&&†††--,,