,,~=;**§## ##§**;=~,,
,,,~=;**§# #§**;=~,,,
,,,,~=;**§ §**;=~,,,,
,,,~=;**§# #§**;=~,,,
,,~=;**§## ##§**;=~,,
,~=;**§### ,,,~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~,,, ###§**;=~,
,,~=;**§## ,~; 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..... ~=, §**;=~,,,,
,,,~=;**§# ,,,~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~,,, #§**;=~,,,
,,~=;**§## ##§**;=~,,
,~=;**§### ###§**;=~,
,,~=;**§## ##§**;=~,,
,,,~=;**§# #§**;=~,,,
,,,,~=;**§ §**;=~,,,,