.......... ..........
.......... ..........
........., ,.........
........,» »,........
.......,»^ ^»,.......
......,»^* ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... *^»,......
.....,»^*§ .,^ 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..... ,». @£§*^»,...
..,»^*§£@@ ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... @@£§*^»,..
.,»^*§£@@# #@@£§*^»,.
..,»^*§£@@ @@£§*^»,..
...,»^*§£@ @£§*^»,...
....,»^*§£ £§*^»,....
.....,»^*§ §*^»,.....