&¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨ ¨&¨¨&¨¨&¨¨
&¨¨¨&&¨¨¨¨ &&¨&&¨&&¨&
&¨¨&¨&¨¨¨& ¨&&¨&&¨&&¨
&¨&&&&¨¨&¨ &¨&&¨&&¨&&
&&¨¨¨&¨&&¨ &&¨&&¨&&¨¨
¨&¨¨&&&¨&¨ ¨¨¨~~~::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~~~¨¨¨ ¨&&¨&&¨&¨&
&&¨&¨¨&&&& ¨~: 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..... ~-¨ ¨&¨&¨¨¨¨&&
¨&¨¨¨¨&&&& ¨¨¨~~~::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~~~¨¨¨ &&&&¨¨¨&¨¨
&&¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨&¨¨&&¨¨
¨&¨¨&&¨¨¨¨ ¨¨&&¨&¨&¨&
&&¨&¨&¨¨¨& ¨&¨&&&&&&&
¨&&&&&¨¨&¨ &&&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
&¨¨¨¨&¨&&& ¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨