¨¨¨¨¨:~^†@                                          @†^~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~^†@#                                          #@†^~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:~^†@#¶                                          ¶#@†^~:¨¨¨
¨¨:~^†@#¶@                                          @¶#@†^~:¨¨
¨:~^†@#¶@#                                          #@¶#@†^~:¨
:~^†@#¶@## ¨¨¨:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::¨¨¨ ##@¶#@†^~:
¨:~^†@#¶@# ¨:^            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.....             :~¨ ¶#@†^~:¨¨¨
¨¨:~^†@#¶@ ¨¨¨:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::¨¨¨ @¶#@†^~:¨¨
¨:~^†@#¶@#                                          #@¶#@†^~:¨
:~^†@#¶@##                                          ##@¶#@†^~:
¨:~^†@#¶@#                                          #@¶#@†^~:¨
¨¨:~^†@#¶@                                          @¶#@†^~:¨¨
¨¨¨:~^†@#¶                                          ¶#@†^~:¨¨¨