.&&.&&&.&& &&&&&..&&&
&&.&&..&&. .....&.&..
&.&&.&.&.& &....&&&&.
&&&.&&&&&& &&...&...&
...&&..... &.&..&&..&
&..&.&.... ...,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,... &&&&.&.&.&
.&.&&&&... .,; 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..... ,«. &........&
&&..&&&&&. ...,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,... &&.......&
..&.&....& &.&......&
&.&&&&...& .&&&.....&
.&&...&..& &&..&....&
&&.&..&&.& &.&.&&...&
..&&&.&.&& &&&&&.&..&