¨¨,»=^&@@@ @@@&^=»,¨¨
¨,»=^&@@@# #@@@&^=»,¨
,»=^&@@@## ##@@@&^=»,
¨,»=^&@@@# #@@@&^=»,¨
¨¨,»=^&@@@ @@@&^=»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»=^&@@ ¨¨¨,,,============================,,,¨¨¨ @@&^=»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»=^&@@@ ¨,= 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..... ,»¨ ##@@@&^=»,
¨,»=^&@@@# ¨¨¨,,,============================,,,¨¨¨ #@@@&^=»,¨
¨¨,»=^&@@@ @@@&^=»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»=^&@@ @@&^=»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»=^&@@@ @@@&^=»,¨¨
¨,»=^&@@@# #@@@&^=»,¨
,»=^&@@@## ##@@@&^=»,