.^«^%$££@#                                          #@££$%^«^.
..^«^%$££@                                          @££$%^«^..
...^«^%$££                                          ££$%^«^...
....^«^%$£                                          £$%^«^....
.....^«^%$                                          $%^«^.....
......^«^% ...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^... %^«^......
.......^«^ .^^            the  spire            «^. ^«^.......
......^«^% «^^««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««^«^ %^«^......
.....^«^%$ ^«^ 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.....             ^«. ££$%^«^...
....^«^%$£ ...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^... £$%^«^....
.....^«^%$                                          $%^«^.....
......^«^%                                          %^«^......
.......^«^                                          ^«^.......
......^«^%                                          %^«^......
.....^«^%$                                          $%^«^.....