£§%*\»^... ...^»\*%§£
@£§%*\»^.. ..^»\*%§£@
#@£§%*\»^. .^»\*%§£@#
@£§%*\»^.. ..^»\*%§£@
£§%*\»^... ...^»\*%§£
§%*\»^.... ...^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^... ....^»\*%§
%*\»^..... .^\ 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..... ^». .......^»\
*\»^...... ...^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^... ......^»\*
%*\»^..... .....^»\*%
§%*\»^.... ....^»\*%§
£§%*\»^... ...^»\*%§£
@£§%*\»^.. ..^»\*%§£@
#@£§%*\»^. .^»\*%§£@#