&&&,&&&&,& &,&&&,,&&&
,,,&&,,,&& ,&&,,&,&,,
,,,&,&,,&, &&,&,&&&&,
,,,&&&&,&& &,&&&&,,,&
&,,&,,,&&, &&&,,,&,,&
,&,&&,,&,& ,,,,,,////////////////////////////,,,,,, ,,,&,,&&,&
&&&&,&,&&& ,,/ 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..... ,~, ,,,,,,,&,,
&&,,,,&,,, ,,,,,,////////////////////////////,,,,,, &,,,,,,&&,
&,&,,,&&,, ,&,,,,,&,&
,&&&,,&,&, &&&,,,,&&&
&&,,&,&&&& &,,&,,,&,,
&,&,&&&,,, &&,&&,,&&,
&&&&&,,&,, ,,&&,&,&,&