,~-/^$¤### ###¤$^/-~,
,~-/^$¤### ###¤$^/-~,
,,,,-/^^¤# #¤^^/-,,,,
,~-/^$¤### ###¤$^/-~,
,~-/^$¤### ###¤$^/-~,
,~-/^$¤### ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, ###¤$^/-~,
,,,,,,-^¤# ,~/ 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 ~/- ¤¤¤^/~,,,,
,~-/^$¤### ,~- CARS..... ~-, ###¤$^/-~,
,~-/^$¤### ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, ###¤$^/-~,
,~-/^$¤### ###¤$^/-~,
,~-/^$¤### ###¤$^/-~,
,~-/^$¤¤¤# #¤¤¤$^/-~,
,,,,,~/^¤# #¤^/~,,,,,
,~-/^$¤### ###¤$^/-~,