,,,=†*%££#                                          #££%*†=,,,
,,=†*%££##                                          ##££%*†=,,
,,,=†*%££#                                          #££%*†=,,,
,,,,=†*%££                                          ££%*†=,,,,
,,,,,=†*%£                                          £%*†=,,,,,
,,,,=†*%££ ,,,,,,††††††††††††††††††††††††††††,,,,,, ££%*†=,,,,
,,,=†*%££# ,,†            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.....             ,=, #££%*†=,,,
,,,,=†*%££ ,,,,,,††††††††††††††††††††††††††††,,,,,, ££%*†=,,,,
,,,,,=†*%£                                          £%*†=,,,,,
,,,,=†*%££                                          ££%*†=,,,,
,,,=†*%££#                                          #££%*†=,,,
,,=†*%££##                                          ##££%*†=,,
,,,=†*%££#                                          #££%*†=,,,