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