§;~,...... ......,~;§
;~,....... .......,~;
~,........ ........,~
,......... .........,
~,........ ........,~
;~,....... ...,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,... .......,~;
§;~,...... .,; 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..... ,~. ......,~;§
%§;~,..... ...,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,... .....,~;§%
@%§;~,.... ....,~;§%@
#@%§;~,... ...,~;§%@#
##@%§;~,.. ..,~;§%@##
###@%§;~,. .,~;§%@###
##@%§;~,.. ..,~;§%@##