,,,,^-/%$#                                          #$%/-^,,,,
,,,,,^-/%$                                          $%/-^,,,,,
,,,,^-/%$#                                          #$%/-^,,,,
,,,^-/%$##                                          ##$%/-^,,,
,,^-/%$###                                          ###$%/-^,,
,^-/%$#### ,,,^^^////////////////////////////^^^,,, ####$%/-^,
,,^-/%$### ,^/            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.....            ^-, ###$%/-^,,
,,,^-/%$## ,,,^^^////////////////////////////^^^,,, ##$%/-^,,,
,,,,^-/%$#                                          #$%/-^,,,,
,,,,,^-/%$                                          $%/-^,,,,,
,,,,^-/%$#                                          #$%/-^,,,,
,,,^-/%$##                                          ##$%/-^,,,
,,^-/%$###                                          ###$%/-^,,