,^~^§$§###                                          ###§$§^~^,
,^~^§$§§§§                                          §§§§$§^~^,
,^~^^^§$##                                          ##$§^^^~^,
,^~^§$§###                                          ###§$§^~^,
,^~^§$§###                                          ###§$§^~^,
,^^~~~^§§§ ,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,, §§§^~~~^^,
,^~^§$§### ,^^            the  spire            ~^, ###§$§^~^,
,^~^§$§### ~^^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^~^ ###§$§^~^,
,^~~~^^§§§ ^~^ 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 ^^~ §§§^~,,,,,
,^~§$§#### ,^~             cars.....            ^~, ####§$§~^,
,^~^§$§### ,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,, ###§$§^~^,
,^~^^§§§§§                                          §§§§§^^~^,
,^~^§$§###                                          ###§$§^~^,
,,,,,~§§§#                                          #§§§~,,,,,
,^~~~~^^$#                                          #$^^~~~~^,
,^~^§$####                                          ####$§^~^,