¨¨&¨¨&&&¨& &¨¨¨¨&¨&&¨
¨¨&&¨&¨¨&& &&¨¨¨&&&¨&
&¨&¨&&&¨&¨ ¨¨&¨¨&¨¨&&
¨&&&&¨¨&&& &¨&&¨&&¨&¨
¨&¨¨¨&¨&¨¨ &&&¨&&¨&&&
&&&¨¨&&&&¨ ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨&&¨&&¨¨
&¨¨&¨&¨¨¨& ¨^: 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..... ^=¨ &&&&¨¨&¨&&
¨¨¨&&¨¨&¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨&¨&&&¨
¨¨¨&¨&¨&&¨ ¨¨¨¨&&&¨¨&
&¨¨&&&&&¨& ¨¨¨¨&¨¨&¨&
¨&¨&¨¨¨¨&& ¨¨¨¨&&¨&&&
&&&&&¨¨¨&¨ &¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨
&¨¨¨¨&¨¨&& ¨&¨¨&&&¨&¨