&&&¨¨¨&&&¨ ¨&¨¨&¨¨&¨¨
&¨&&¨¨&¨&& ¨¨&¨¨&¨¨&¨
¨¨&&&¨¨¨&& ¨¨¨&¨¨&¨¨¨
¨¨&¨&&¨¨&¨ ¨¨¨¨&¨¨&¨¨
¨¨¨¨&&&¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨&¨
¨¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨ ¨¨¨---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---¨¨¨ &¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨&
&¨¨¨¨¨&&&¨ ¨-^ 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..... -=¨ ¨¨&&&¨¨&¨&
&&¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨ ¨¨¨---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---¨¨¨ ¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨&
¨&&¨¨¨¨&¨¨ ¨¨¨¨&&&¨¨&
¨&&&¨¨¨¨&¨ ¨¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨
¨&¨&&¨¨¨¨& &¨¨¨¨¨&&&¨
¨¨¨&&&¨¨¨¨ &&¨¨¨¨&¨&&
&¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨ ¨&&¨¨¨¨¨&&