...,«/%%£@                                          @£%%/«,...
.,«/%¤£@@@                                          @@@£¤%/«,.
...,///¤¤@                                          @¤¤///,...
....,«/¤@@                                          @@¤/«,....
.....«/¤£@                                          @£¤/«.....
.,«/%¤£@@@ ...,,,////////////////////////////,,,... @@@£¤%/«,.
.,«/%¤£@@# .,/            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.....            ,«. @£%««.....
.,««/%%£££ ...,,,////////////////////////////,,,... £££%%/««,.
,«/%¤£@@##                                          ##@@£¤%/«,
....,//%¤@                                          @¤%//,....
.,«/%¤£@@@                                          @@@£¤%/«,.
.,«///%¤¤£                                          £¤¤%///«,.
.......«%£                                          £%«.......