¨#¨#¨¨#¨#¨ ####¨¨¨¨#¨
####¨####¨ ¨¨¨#¨¨¨##¨
¨¨¨##¨¨¨## ¨¨##¨¨#¨##
¨¨#¨#¨¨#¨¨ ¨#¨#¨###¨#
¨####¨##¨# #####¨¨###
#¨¨¨##¨##¨ ¨¨¨---============================---¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨#¨#¨¨#
#¨¨#¨##¨## ¨-= 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..... -~¨ ¨¨#¨¨#¨¨¨¨
¨#¨¨#¨#¨#¨ ¨¨¨---============================---¨¨¨ ¨##¨##¨¨¨¨
##¨####### #¨##¨#¨¨¨¨
¨##¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ##¨###¨¨¨#
#¨#¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨##¨¨#¨¨##
###¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ #¨#¨##¨#¨¨
¨¨#¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ####¨###¨#