##@@§*%*~. .~*%*§@@##
@@***~~... ...~~***@@
@§**~~.... ....~~**§@
@@@§*%*~~. .~~*%*§@@@
#@@§*%*~~. .~~*%*§@@#
#@@§*%*~~. ...~~~****************************~~~... .~~*%*§@@#
@§***%*~~. .~* 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..... ~~. .~~*%*§@@#
##@§*%*~~. ...~~~****************************~~~... .~~*%*§@##
@@*%~..... .....~%*@@
#@@§*%*~~. .~~*%*§@@#
@***%~~~~. .~~~~%***@
#@@§*%*~~. .~~*%*§@@#
#@@§*%*~~. .~~*%*§@@#