.,----\*## ##*\----,.
.,-\*¤#### ####¤*\-,.
.,-\*¤#### ####¤*\-,.
.,-\*¤#### ####¤*\-,.
..,,-**¤## ##¤**-,,..
......,\*# ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... #*\,......
.,-\*¤#### .,\ 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..... ,-. ####¤*\-,.
....--\\¤# ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... #¤\\--....
.,-\*¤#### ####¤*\-,.
...,,,\*¤# #¤*\,,,...
.....--\¤# #¤\--.....
.,-\*¤#### ####¤*\-,.
.,-\****¤# #¤****\-,.