@@.@...@.. .@@..@@@@@
..@@@..@@. @@.@.@....
..@..@.@.@ @.@@@@@...
..@@.@@@@@ @@@....@..
..@.@@.... ...@...@@.
..@@@.@... ......::::::::::::::::::::::::::::...... @..@@..@.@
@.@..@@@.. ..: 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..... .=. .@@..@..@@
.@@@.@@@@@ ......::::::::::::::::::::::::::::...... .@.@.@@.@.
.@..@@.... .@@@@@.@@@
@@@.@.@... @@....@@..
@..@@@@@.. ..@...@.@.
@@.@....@. @.@@..@@@@
..@@@...@@ @@@.@.@...