....~\\$¤# #¤$\\~....
.......~=¤ ¤=~.......
.....~~=$¶ ¶$=~~.....
.~~\=$$$¤¤ ¤¤$$$=\~~.
.~~\=$¤¶## ##¶¤$=\~~.
....~\==¤¶ ...~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~... ¶¤==\~....
.~~\=$¤¤¶# .~\ THE SPIRE ~\. #¶¤¤$=\~~.
.~~\=$¤¶## ~\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\~~ ##¶¤$=\~~.
.~~~~\=$¶¶ \~~ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A \~~ ¶¶$=\~~~~.
...~~\=$¤¶ \~~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ~\~ ¶¤$=\~~...
.~~\=$¤¶## ~\~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ~~\ ##¶¤$=\~~.
.~~\=$¤¶## ~~\ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~~\ ##¶¤$=\~~.
.~~\=$$$¶¶ ~~\ LIKED A MUSHROOM. ~\~ ¶¶$$$=\~~.
.~~~\==¤¶¶ ~\~ 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 \~~ ##¶¤$=\~~.
.~~\==$$¤¶ \~~ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ~\~ ¶¤$$==\~~.
.~~\=$¤¶## .~~ CARS..... ~~. ##¶¤$=\~~.
.~~\=$¤¶## ...~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~... ##¶¤$=\~~.
..~~~\$¤¶# #¶¤$\~~~..
....~~=$$¶ ¶$$=~~....
.....~~=¤¶ ¶¤=~~.....
....~\===¤ ¤===\~....
.~~\=$¤¶## ##¶¤$=\~~.