¨¨~-:†%§##                                          ##§%†:-~¨¨
¨~-:†%§###                                          ###§%†:-~¨
¨¨~-:†%§##                                          ##§%†:-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-:†%§#                                          #§%†:-~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-:†%§                                          §%†:-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~-:†%§# ¨¨¨~~~::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~~~¨¨¨ #§%†:-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-:†%§## ¨~:            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.....             ~-¨ ##§%†:-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-:†%§# ¨¨¨~~~::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~~~¨¨¨ #§%†:-~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-:†%§                                          §%†:-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~-:†%§#                                          #§%†:-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-:†%§##                                          ##§%†:-~¨¨
¨~-:†%§###                                          ###§%†:-~¨
¨¨~-:†%§##                                          ##§%†:-~¨¨