,,~=*$#### ####$*=~,,
,,~=*$#### ####$*=~,,
,,,,,,~*## ##*~,,,,,,
,,,~~~~=$# #$=~~~~,,,
,,,,,,,=$# #$=,,,,,,,
,,~=*$#### ,,,,,,============================,,,,,, ####$*=~,,
,,~=*$#### ,,= the spire ~=, ####$*=~,,
,,~=*$#### ~=,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=~, ####$*=~,,
,,~=*##### =~, 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. ~,= #*=,,,,,,,
,,~=*$#### ,~=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=, ####$*=~,,
,,,,,==$## ~,= iirc it's currently owned by =~, ##$==,,,,,
,,~=*$#### ~=, some energy drink baron who uses =,~ ####$*=~,,
,,~=*$#### =~, it to hold all his fourty eight ,=~ ####$*=~,,
,,~=*$#### ,,~ cars..... ,~, ####$*=~,,
,,,,,~~*$# ,,,,,,============================,,,,,, #$*~~,,,,,
,,,,,~*$## ##$*~,,,,,
,,~=*$$$## ##$$$*=~,,
,,~=*$$$## ##$$$*=~,,
,,~=*$#### ####$*=~,,
,,~=*$#### ####$*=~,,