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