#¤£$:«:... ...:«:$£¤#
¤£$:«:.... ....:«:$£¤
£$:«:..... .....:«:$£
$:«:...... ......:«:$
:«:....... .......:«:
«:........ ...::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::... ........:«
:......... .:: 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. «:: ........:«
:«:....... :«:«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:: .......:«:
$:«:...... «:: iirc it's currently owned by :«: ......:«:$
£$:«:..... «:: some energy drink baron who uses ::« .....:«:$£
¤£$:«:.... :«: it to hold all his fourty eight ::« ....:«:$£¤
#¤£$:«:... .:« cars..... :«. ...:«:$£¤#
##¤£$:«:.. ...::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::... ..:«:$£¤##
###¤£$:«:. .:«:$£¤###
##¤£$:«:.. ..:«:$£¤##
#¤£$:«:... ...:«:$£¤#
¤£$:«:.... ....:«:$£¤
£$:«:..... .....:«:$£