...««%%&¶#                                          #¶&%%««...
....;%&&&&                                          &&&&%;....
..«;%&&¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶&&%;«..
.....«;&¶¶                                          ¶¶&;«.....
..«;;;;&&¶                                          ¶&&;;;;«..
.....«%&¶¶ ......;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;...... ¶¶&%«.....
..«;%&¶### ..;            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.....             .«. ##¶&&%;«..
.....«%%%& ......;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;...... &%%%«.....
.......«%&                                          &%«.......
..«;%&&¶##                                          ##¶&&%;«..
..«;%&&¶##                                          ##¶&&%;«..
..«;%&&¶##                                          ##¶&&%;«..
.«;%&&¶###                                          ###¶&&%;«.