#¤**~,,,,, ,,,,,~**¤#
@#¤**~,,,, ,,,,~**¤#@
#@#¤**~,,, ,,,~**¤#@#
##@#¤**~,, ,,~**¤#@##
#@#¤**~,,, ,,,~**¤#@#
@#¤**~,,,, ,,,,,,****************************,,,,,, ,,,,~**¤#@
#¤**~,,,,, ,,* 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..... ,~, ,,,,,~**¤#
¤**~,,,,,, ,,,,,,****************************,,,,,, ,,,,,,~**¤
**~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~**
¤**~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~**¤
#¤**~,,,,, ,,,,,~**¤#
@#¤**~,,,, ,,,,~**¤#@
#@#¤**~,,, ,,,~**¤#@#