,:»/^@£@## ##@£@^/»:,
,:»/^@£@## ##@£@^/»:,
,:»/^@@££@ @££@@^/»:,
,,,:///@@£ £@@///:,,,
,:»/^@@@£# #£@@@^/»:,
,:»/^@£@## ,,,:::////////////////////////////:::,,, ##@£@^/»:,
,,,»///^@@ ,:/ 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..... :», @£^»»»:,,,
,:»/^^@@££ ,,,:::////////////////////////////:::,,, ££@@^^/»:,
,:»/^@£@## ##@£@^/»:,
,:»/^@£### ###£@^/»:,
,:::»//@@@ @@@//»:::,
,,,,»//@@£ £@@//»,,,,
,:»/^@@@@@ @@@@@^/»:,