¨¨¨¨¨~«;†@                                          @†;«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«;†                                          †;«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«;†@                                          @†;«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«;†@#                                          #@†;«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«;†@##                                          ##@†;«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«;†@### ¨¨¨~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~¨¨¨ ###@†;«~¨¨
¨~«;†@#### ¨~;            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.....             ~«¨ ####@†;«~¨
¨¨~«;†@### ¨¨¨~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~¨¨¨ ###@†;«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«;†@##                                          ##@†;«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«;†@#                                          #@†;«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«;†@                                          @†;«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«;†                                          †;«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«;†@                                          @†;«~¨¨¨¨¨