..«^$$@###                                          ###@$$^«..
..«^$$@###                                          ###@$$^«..
..«^$$@###                                          ###@$$^«..
....««^$@#                                          #@$^««....
..«^$$$$@#                                          #@$$$$^«..
..«^$$$@## ......^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...... ##@$$$^«..
..«^^^^$$@ ..^            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.....             .«. ###@$$^«..
..«^$$@### ......^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...... ###@$$^«..
..«^$$@###                                          ###@$$^«..
....«««$$@                                          @$$«««....
..«^$$@###                                          ###@$$^«..
.....^^$$#                                          #$$^^.....
....«««$@@                                          @@$«««....