,,.«=§£&##                                          ##&£§=«.,,
,,,.«=§£&#                                          #&£§=«.,,,
,,,,.«=§£&                                          &£§=«.,,,,
,,,,,.«=§£                                          £§=«.,,,,,
,,,,,,.«=§                                          §=«.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.«= ,,,...============================...,,, =«.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.« ,.=            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.....             .«, &£§=«.,,,,
,,,.«=§£&# ,,,...============================...,,, #&£§=«.,,,
,,.«=§£&##                                          ##&£§=«.,,
,.«=§£&###                                          ###&£§=«.,
,,.«=§£&##                                          ##&£§=«.,,
,,,.«=§£&#                                          #&£§=«.,,,
,,,,.«=§£&                                          &£§=«.,,,,