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