¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~; ;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;= =;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~;=$ $=;~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~;=$# #$=;~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~;=$#£ £#$=;~^¨¨¨
¨¨^~;=$#£# ¨¨¨^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^¨¨¨ #£#$=;~^¨¨
¨^~;=$#£## ¨^; 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..... ^~¨ £#$=;~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~;=$# ¨¨¨^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^¨¨¨ #$=;~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~;=$ $=;~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;= =;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~; ;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨