¨¨^~=§$§#@                                          @#§$§=~^¨¨
¨¨¨^~=§$§#                                          #§$§=~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~=§$§                                          §$§=~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~=§$                                          $§=~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~=§$§                                          §$§=~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~=§$§# ¨¨¨^^^============================^^^¨¨¨ #§$§=~^¨¨¨
¨¨^~=§$§#@ ¨^=            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.....            ^~¨ @#§$§=~^¨¨
¨^~=§$§#@# ¨¨¨^^^============================^^^¨¨¨ #@#§$§=~^¨
¨¨^~=§$§#@                                          @#§$§=~^¨¨
¨¨¨^~=§$§#                                          #§$§=~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~=§$§                                          §$§=~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~=§$                                          $§=~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~=§$§                                          §$§=~^¨¨¨¨