..~\%¤@@@# #@@@¤%\~..
..~\%¤¤¤@@ @@¤¤¤%\~..
..~\%¤@@@# #@@@¤%\~..
..~\%¤@@@@ @@@@¤%\~..
..~\%¤@@@@ @@@@¤%\~..
..~~~\¤@@@ ......\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\...... @@@¤\~~~..
..~\%¤@@@@ ..\ 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..... .~. @@¤¤\~....
......\¤¤@ ......\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\...... @¤¤\......
......~%¤@ @¤%~......
..~\%¤@@## ##@@¤%\~..
......~\¤@ @¤\~......
....~%%%@@ @@%%%~....
..~\%¤@@@# #@@@¤%\~..