##@&%*^=., ,.=^*%&@##
#@&%*^=.,, ,,.=^*%&@#
@&%*^=.,,, ,,,.=^*%&@
&%*^=.,,,, ,,,,.=^*%&
%*^=.,,,,, ,,,,,.=^*%
*^=.,,,,,, ,,,...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...,,, ,,,,,,.=^*
^=.,,,,,,, ,.^ 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..... .=, ,,,.=^*%&@
#@&%*^=.,, ,,,...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...,,, ,,.=^*%&@#
##@&%*^=., ,.=^*%&@##
#@&%*^=.,, ,,.=^*%&@#
@&%*^=.,,, ,,,.=^*%&@
&%*^=.,,,, ,,,,.=^*%&
%*^=.,,,,, ,,,,,.=^*%