&&&,&&&&&& ,&&&&,&,&,
&,,&&,,,,, ,&,,,&&&&&
,&,&,&,,,, ,&&,,&,,,,
,&&&&&&,,, ,&,&,&&,,,
,&,,,,,&,, ,&&&&&,&,,
,&&,,,,&&, ,,,...;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;...,,, ,&,,,,&&&,
,&,&,,,&,& ,.; 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..... .-, ,,,,,&&&&,
&&&&,&,,,, ,,,...;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;...,,, ,,,,,&,,,&
,,,,&&&,,, ,,,,,&&,,&
&,,,&,,&,, &,,,,&,&,&
,&,,&&,&&, &&,,,&&&&&
&&&,&,&&,& &,&,,&,,,,
&,,&&&&,&& ,&&&,&&,,,