,,,~~~~%@# #@%~~~~,,,
,-~*%$@@## ##@@$%*~-,
,-~*%$@@## ##@@$%*~-,
,,,---*%@@ @@%*---,,,
,,,,,,~~%@ @%~~,,,,,,
,-~*%$@@## ,,,---****************************---,,, ##@@$%*~-,
,-~*%$$$@@ ,-* The Spire ~*, @@$$$%*~-,
,,,,,,-*$@ ~*-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~- @$*-,,,,,,
,-~*%$@@## *~- Once Upon A Time, There Was A *-~ ##@@$%*~-,
,-~*%$@@## *-~ Benevolent Spire, Towering Well -*~ ##@@$%*~-,
,,,,,~%$$@ -*~ Above Our Tallest Trees. It Was -~* @$$%~,,,,,
,-~*%$@@## -~* Clad In White Scales, And Shaped ~-* ##@@$%*~-,
,-~*%$@@## ~-* Liked A Mushroom. ~*- ##@@$%*~-,
,-~*%$@@@# ~*- We Loved It Dearly. *~- #@@@$%*~-,
,,,,,~%%%@ *~-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*-~ @%%%~,,,,,
,-~*%$@@@@ *-~ It Predated Us By Many Years, -*~ @@@@$%*~-,
,-~*%$@@## -*~ And We Did Not Know Its Original -~* ##@@$%*~-,
,-~*%$$@@@ -~* Builders. They Had Used Its ~-* @@@$$%*~-,
,,,,,-*%@@ ~-* 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 -~* @%%~---,,,
,-~*%$@@## -*~ Few Times, And Stop Going. ~-* ##@@$%*~-,
,,-~~*%$@# -~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*- #@$%*~~-,,
,-~*%$$$$@ ~-* Iirc It'S Currently Owned By *~- @$$$$%*~-,
,,-~**%$@@ ~*- Some Energy drink Baron Who Uses *-~ @@$%**~-,,
,-~*%$@@## *~- It To Hold All His Fourty Eight -*~ ##@@$%*~-,
,-~*%$@### ,-~ Cars..... -~, ###@$%*~-,
,,,,-~%$@@ ,,,---****************************---,,, @@$%~-,,,,
,-~%$@@### ###@@$%~-,
,,-~*%%%$@ @$%%%*~-,,
,,,,,~*$@@ @@$*~,,,,,
,-~*%$@@## ##@@$%*~-,
,-~*%@@### ###@@%*~-,