##¶¤$%^«-.                                          .-«^%$¤¶##
#¶¤$%^«-..                                          ..-«^%$¤¶#
¶¤$%^«-...                                          ...-«^%$¤¶
¤$%^«-....                                          ....-«^%$¤
$%^«-.....                                          .....-«^%$
%^«-...... ...---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---... ......-«^%
^«-....... .-^            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 -^« ......-«^%
$%^«-..... ^-« outside, and we get beaten up  a -«^ .....-«^%$
¤$%^«-.... -^«  few  times,  and  stop  going.  «-^ ....-«^%$¤
¶¤$%^«-... -«^«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««^- ...-«^%$¤¶
#¶¤$%^«-.. «-^  iirc  it's  currently  owned by ^«- ..-«^%$¤¶#
##¶¤$%^«-. «^- some energy drink baron who uses ^-« .-«^%$¤¶##
#¶¤$%^«-.. ^«-  it to hold all his fourty eight -^« ..-«^%$¤¶#
¶¤$%^«-... .-«            cars.....             -«. ...-«^%$¤¶
¤$%^«-.... ...---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---... ....-«^%$¤
$%^«-.....                                          .....-«^%$
%^«-......                                          ......-«^%
^«-.......                                          .......-«^
%^«-......                                          ......-«^%
$%^«-.....                                          .....-«^%$