@£¤†=-^,,, ,,,^-=†¤£@
#@£¤†=-^,, ,,^-=†¤£@#
##@£¤†=-^, ,^-=†¤£@##
#@£¤†=-^,, ,,^-=†¤£@#
@£¤†=-^,,, ,,,^-=†¤£@
£¤†=-^,,,, ,,,^^^============================^^^,,, ,,,,^-=†¤£
¤†=-^,,,,, ,^= 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..... ^-, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,^^^============================^^^,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
^,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,^
-^,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,^-
=-^,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,^-=