#@@&**\-,. .,-\**&@@#
###@&**\,. .,\**&@###
##@&**\-,. .,-\**&@##
##@&**\-,. .,-\**&@##
##@&**\-,. .,-\**&@##
###@**\-,. ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... .,-\**@###
&&****\-,. .,\ 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..... ,-. .,-\**&@@#
#@@&**\-,. ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... .,-\**&@@#
@&****\-,. .,-\****&@
@&**--.... ....--**&@
##@&**\-,. .,-\**&@##
##@&**\-,. .,-\**&@##
###&**\-,. .,-\**##