#.##...##. ..#.#.#.#.
#..#..#.#. .##.#.#.#.
#.##.##.#. #.#.#.#.#.
#..#..#.#. #.#.#.#.#.
#.##.##.#. #.#.#.#.#.
#..#..#.#. ...,,,****************************,,,... #.#.#.#.#.
#.##.##.#. .,* 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..... ,«. #.#.#.#.#.
#..#..#.#. ...,,,****************************,,,... #.#.#.#.#.
#.##.##.#. #.#.#.#.#.
#..#..#.#. #.#.#.#.#.
#.##.##.#. #.#.#.#.#.
#..#..#.#. #.#.#.#.#.
#.##.##.#. #.#.#.#.#.