,,==%¤&@## ##@&¤%==,,
,,,==%¤&@# #@&¤%==,,,
,,,,==%¤&@ @&¤%==,,,,
,,,,,==%¤& &¤%==,,,,,
,,,,,,==%¤ ¤%==,,,,,,
,,,,,,,==% ,,,,,,============================,,,,,, %==,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,== ,,= 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..... ,=, @&¤%==,,,,
,,,,,==%¤& ,,,,,,============================,,,,,, &¤%==,,,,,
,,,,,,==%¤ ¤%==,,,,,,
,,,,,,,==% %==,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,== ==,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,= =,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,== ==,,,,,,,,