.,=:%&¶@## ##@¶&%:=,.
..,=:%&¶@# #@¶&%:=,..
...,=:%&¶@ @¶&%:=,...
....,=:%&¶ ¶&%:=,....
...,=:%&¶@ @¶&%:=,...
..,=:%&¶@# ...,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,... #@¶&%:=,..
.,=:%&¶@## .,: 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..... ,=. @¶&%:=,...
....,=:%&¶ ...,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,... ¶&%:=,....
...,=:%&¶@ @¶&%:=,...
..,=:%&¶@# #@¶&%:=,..
.,=:%&¶@## ##@¶&%:=,.
..,=:%&¶@# #@¶&%:=,..
...,=:%&¶@ @¶&%:=,...