,^~/*$#@## ##@#$*/~^,
,^~////$@# #@$////~^,
,,,^^^~*$@ @$*~^^^,,,
,^~/*$$$$# #$$$$*/~^,
,^~/*$#@## ##@#$*/~^,
,^~/*$#@## ,,,^^^////////////////////////////^^^,,, ##@#$*/~^,
,^~/*$#@## ,^/ THE SPIRE ~/, ##@#$*/~^,
,,,~//*##@ ~/^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/~^ @##*//~,,,
,^~/*$###@ /~^ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A /^~ @###$*/~^,
,^~/*$#@## /^~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ^/~ ##@#$*/~^,
,^~/*$#### ^/~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ^~/ ####$*/~^,
,,,^~/$#@@ ^~/ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~^/ @@#$/~^,,,
,,^^^~/$## ~^/ LIKED A MUSHROOM. ~/^ ##$/~^^^,,
,^~/*$#@## ~/^ WE LOVED IT DEARLY. /~^ ##@#$*/~^,
,^~/*$#@## /~^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/^~ ##@#$*/~^,
,,,~////*# /^~ IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, ^/~ #*////~,,,
,^~/*$@### ^/~ AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ^~/ ###@$*/~^,
,^~/*$##@# ^~/ BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS ~^/ #@##$*/~^,
,,,,,~/*## ~^/ HOLLOW BODY FOR MANY STRANGE ~/^ ##*/~,,,,,
,,,,^~/$$@ ~/^ 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 ^/~ @#***~^,,,
,^~/*$#@## ,^~ CARS..... ^~, ##@#$*/~^,
,^~/*$#@## ,,,^^^////////////////////////////^^^,,, ##@#$*/~^,
,,,,^^/$@# #@$/^^,,,,
,^~/*$#@@@ @@@#$*/~^,
,,,,^~*$## ##$*~^,,,,
,^~/*$#@## ##@#$*/~^,
,^~/*$#@## ##@#$*/~^,