,,,,,,^;$¶                                          ¶$;^,,,,,,
,^«;%$¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤$%;«^,
,^«;%$¤¶@@                                          @@¶¤$%;«^,
,^«;%$¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤$%;«^,
,,^^;%$$¤@                                          @¤$$%;^^,,
,,,,^;$¤¤¤ ,,,^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^,,, ¤¤¤$;^,,,,
,,,,,«;%$¤ ,^;            the  spire            «;, ¤$%;«,,,,,
,^«;%$$¤¤¤ «;^««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««;«^ ¤¤¤$$%;«^,
,^«;%$¤¶@# ;«^ once upon a time, there was a    ;^« #@¶¤$%;«^,
,,,,,,««%¤ ;^« 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  ^«; ¤¤%%«^,,,,
,^«;%$¤¶@@ ^;«  few  times,  and  stop  going.  «^; @@¶¤$%;«^,
,^«;%$¤¶@@ ^«;«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««;^ @@¶¤$%;«^,
,^«;%$¤¶@# «^;  iirc it's  currently  owned by  ;«^ #@¶¤$%;«^,
,^«;%$¤¶¶¶ «;^ some energy drink baron who uses ;^« ¶¶¶¤$%;«^,
,,,,,,«;$¶ ;«^  it to hold all his fourty eight ^;« ¶$;«,,,,,,
,^«;%$¤¶## ,^«             cars.....            ^«, ##¶¤$%;«^,
,^«;%%%%$¤ ,,,^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^,,, ¤$%%%%;«^,
^«;%$¤¶@##                                          ##@¶¤$%;«^
,,,,,,«%¤@                                          @¤%«,,,,,,
,^«;%$¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤$%;«^,
,^«;%$¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤$%;«^,
,^«;%$¤¶@@                                          @@¶¤$%;«^,