£$$=«.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
$=«.¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«=$
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...============================...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
##£$$=«.¨¨ ¨.=            the  spire            «=¨ ¨¨.«=$$£##
###£$$=«.¨ «=.««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««=«. ¨.«=$$£###
##£$$=«.¨¨ =«. once upon a time, there was a    =.« ¨¨.«=$$£##
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ =.« benevolent spire, towering  well .=« ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ .=« above our tallest  trees. it was .«= ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ .«= clad in white scales, and shaped «.= ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
$=«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ «.=      liked   a  mushroom.        «=. ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«=$
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ «=.      we  loved  it  dearly.      =«. ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ =«.««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««=.« ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ =.« it  predated us by  many  years, .=« ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
##£$$=«.¨¨ .=« and we did not know its original .«= ¨¨.«=$$£##
###£$$=«.¨ .«=  builders. they  had  used  its  «.= ¨.«=$$£###
##£$$=«.¨¨ «.= hollow  body  for  many strange  «=. ¨¨.«=$$£##
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ «=.  purposes -  a womblike place of =«. ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ =«. gestation,  a storage of strage  =.« ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ =.« fluids, a temple to some kind of .=« ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
$=«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ .=«    arcane   deity.               .«= ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«=$
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ .«=«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««.= ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ «.=  we   were  grateful  for  its   «=. ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ «=.  presence, and  honored it  the  =«. ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
##£$$=«.¨¨ =«.  only  way  we  knew   how:  by  =.« ¨¨.«=$$£##
###£$$=«.¨ ¨.«        breaking        in.       .«¨ ¨.«=$$£###
##£$$=«.¨¨ ¨¨¨...============================...¨¨¨ ¨¨.«=$$£##
#£$$=«.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...============================...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
$=«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨«=  this place we called our  city: .=« ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«=$
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ .=« wavy  and fractured,  with each  =.« ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ =.« courtyard on a different height, =«. ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ =«. roads  becoming  roofs becoming  «=. ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
##£$$=«.¨¨ «=.  drains. and some places,  like  «.= ¨¨.«=$$£##
###£$$=«.¨ «.= the spire, nobody  had  accessed .«= ¨.«=$$£###
##£$$=«.¨¨ .«= for many years. once its  walls  .=« ¨¨.«=$$£##
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ .=«  are just  too  high,  and  the  =.« ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ =.« internal routes to labyrinthine, =«. ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ =«. a place among  others is easily  «=. ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
$=«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ «=.           overlooked.            .«= ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«=$
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ .«=««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««.=« ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ .=«  so, basically,  that summer the =.« ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ =.« four of us snuck and climbed and «.= ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
##£$$=«.¨¨ =«. crawled for weeks, searching for «=. ¨¨.«=$$£##
###£$$=«.¨ «=. a secluded place to do drugs and «.= ¨.«=$$£###
##£$$=«.¨¨ «.= play  music on our  handhelds.   .«= ¨¨.«=$$£##
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ .«=  instead  we  found  vast  lungs .=« ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ .=«   drained  of  their  catalyst   =.« ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ =.« sludge, and a birds-eye  view to =«. ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
$=«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ =«. make sense of our  roamings for  «=. ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«=$
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ «=.        years   to  come.         «.= ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ «.=««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««.«= ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ .«=  a central  spine, a  staircase  .=« ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
##£$$=«.¨¨ .=«  around it,  the seven toroidal  =.« ¨¨.«=$$£##
###£$$=«.¨ =.« lungs stacked outside,  and  the =«. ¨.«=$$£###
##£$$=«.¨¨ =«. control room on top. the sockets «=. ¨¨.«=$$£##
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ «=. for its eyes. the smaller spires «.= ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ «.=   for  radiating  consciousness  .«= ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨«=           invitations.           .=¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
$=«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...============================...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«=$
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...============================...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ ¨.= in twenty fourteen, the tower is =«. ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
##£$$=«.¨¨ «=. toppled  and  eaten by machines. =.« ¨¨.«=$$£##
###£$$=«.¨ =«. after  a while, something new is .=« ¨.«=$$£###
##£$$=«.¨¨ =.«  conjured in its place. it's  a  .«= ¨¨.«=$$£##
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ .=« tiny maw at first,  shorter than «.= ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ .«=  us,  and  we  let  it be.  our  «=. ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ «.= journeys  still end at its feet. =«. ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
$=«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ «=.««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««=.« ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«=$
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ =«. but  then  we are betrayed.  the .=« ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ =.«  new tower  eats us. others are  .«= ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ .=« sucked inside. new buildings are «.= ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
##£$$=«.¨¨ .«= manifested  overnight, only  to  «=. ¨¨.«=$$£##
###£$$=«.¨ «.= disappear in  the  evening fog.  =«. ¨.«=$$£###
##£$$=«.¨¨ «=. for a  while its  some  kind  of =.« ¨¨.«=$$£##
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ =«. timeshare scam. goons are placed .=« ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ =.« outside, and we  get beaten up a .«= ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ .=«  few  times,  and  stop  going.  «.= ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
$=«.¨¨¨¨¨¨ .«=«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««=. ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«=$
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨ «.= iirc  it's  currently owned  by  =«. ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨ «=. some energy drink baron who uses =.« ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
#£$$=«.¨¨¨ =«. it to hold all his fourty eight  .=« ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
##£$$=«.¨¨ ¨.«             cars.....            .«¨ ¨¨.«=$$£##
###£$$=«.¨ ¨¨¨...============================...¨¨¨ ¨.«=$$£###
##£$$=«.¨¨                                          ¨¨.«=$$£##
#£$$=«.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.«=$$£#
£$$=«.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.«=$$£
$$=«.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.«=$$
$=«.¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨.«=$