..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
........., ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... ,.........
........,« .,^            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.....            ,«. «,........
........., ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... ,.........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........