¨¨¨¨--**^¤ ¤^**--¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨-**^&&¤ ¤&&^**-¨¨¨
¨-=*^&¤¶@# #@¶¤&^*=-¨
¨-=*^&¤¶@@ @@¶¤&^*=-¨
¨-=*^&¤¶@# #@¶¤&^*=-¨
¨-=*^&¤¶## ¨¨¨---****************************---¨¨¨ ##¶¤&^*=-¨
¨¨¨¨¨=^¤¤¶ ¨-* 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..... -=¨ @¶&^==-¨¨¨
¨-=*^&¤¶¶¶ ¨¨¨---****************************---¨¨¨ ¶¶¶¤&^*=-¨
¨-==**^&&¤ ¤&&^**==-¨
¨-=*^&¤¶@# #@¶¤&^*=-¨
¨-=*^&¤¶@# #@¶¤&^*=-¨
¨¨¨¨¨==*&¤ ¤&*==¨¨¨¨¨
¨-=*^&¤¶@# #@¶¤&^*=-¨