##%%~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~%%##
§%%^^^:::¨                                          ¨:::^^^%%§
###§%%^~:¨                                          ¨:~^%%§###
##§%%^:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:^%%§##
###§%%^~:¨                                          ¨:~^%%§###
###§%%^~:¨ ¨¨¨:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::¨¨¨ ¨:~^%%§###
###§%%^~:¨ ¨:^            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.....            :~¨ ¨:~^%%%§§#
###§%%^~:¨ ¨¨¨:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::¨¨¨ ¨:~^%%§###
§%^~::::¨¨                                          ¨¨::::~^%§
###§%%^~:¨                                          ¨:~^%%§###
#%%^:¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨:^%%#
###§%%^~:¨                                          ¨:~^%%§###
###§%%^~:¨                                          ¨:~^%%§###