&=«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«=&
@¶%=\\^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^\\=%¶@
@¶¶&%=\«^¨                                          ¨^«\=%&¶¶@
&%=\^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^\=%&
##@¶&=\«^¨                                          ¨^«\=&¶@##
#@¶&%=\«^¨ ¨¨¨^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^¨¨¨ ¨^«\=%&¶@#
&%\^^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨^\            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.....             ^«¨ ¨^«\=%&¶##
##@¶&%=\«¨ ¨¨¨^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^¨¨¨ ¨«\=%&¶@##
¶&%%\«¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨«\%%&¶
&==«¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨«==&
¶&%\\^^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^^\\%&¶
¶%%=«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«=%%¶
¶%%=\\^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^\\=%%¶