¤¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¨¤ ¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨
¤¨¤¤¤¤¤¨¨¤ ¨¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨
¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¨¤
¨¨¨¤¨¨¨¤¤¤ ¤¤¨¤¨¨¨¨¤¤
¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨ ¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¨¤¨
¤¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨ ¨¨¨:::============================:::¨¨¨ ¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¤
¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¨¤ ¨:= 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..... :»¨ ¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¤
¤¨¤¨¤¤¤¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:::============================:::¨¨¨ ¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¨¨¤
¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¨¨ ¤¤¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¤
¤¤¨¨¨¤¨¤¤¨ ¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¤¨¤
¨¨¤¨¨¤¤¤¨¤ ¨¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¤¤
¤¨¤¤¨¤¨¨¤¤ ¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¤¨¨
¤¤¤¨¤¤¤¨¤¨ ¨¨¤¨¨¨¤¤¤¨