,~===//%%§                                          §%%//===~,
,~=/%£§#@#                                          #@#§£%/=~,
,~=/%£§##@                                          @##§£%/=~,
,,,~=%£§##                                          ##§£%=~,,,
,~=/%£§#@#                                          #@#§£%/=~,
,~=/%£§#@# ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, #@#§£%/=~,
,~=/%£§#@# ,~/            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.....             ~=, #@#§£%/=~,
,,~==//£§§ ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, §§£//==~,,
,~=/£§#@##                                          ##@#§£/=~,
,~=/%£§###                                          ###§£%/=~,
,~=////£#@                                          @#£////=~,
,~=/%£§#@#                                          #@#§£%/=~,
,,,,,==%£#                                          #£%==,,,,,