,,,,~=*§£#                                          #£§*=~,,,,
,,,,,~=*§£                                          £§*=~,,,,,
,,,,~=*§£#                                          #£§*=~,,,,
,,,~=*§£##                                          ##£§*=~,,,
,,~=*§£###                                          ###£§*=~,,
,,,~=*§£## ,,,,,,============================,,,,,, ##£§*=~,,,
,,,,~=*§£# ,,=            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.....             ,~, #£§*=~,,,,
,,,~=*§£## ,,,,,,============================,,,,,, ##£§*=~,,,
,,~=*§£###                                          ###£§*=~,,
,,,~=*§£##                                          ##£§*=~,,,
,,,,~=*§£#                                          #£§*=~,,,,
,,,,,~=*§£                                          £§*=~,,,,,
,,,,~=*§£#                                          #£§*=~,,,,