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