###£$**=^.                                          .^=**$£###
##£$**=^..                                          ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^...                                          ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^..                                          ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^.                                          .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. ...^^^****************************^^^... ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... .^*            the  spire            =*. ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. =*^==================================*=^ ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. *=^ once upon a time, there was a    *^= .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. *^= benevolent spire,  towering well ^*= ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... ^*= above our tallest  trees. it was ^=* ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. ^=* clad in white scales, and shaped =^* ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. =^*        liked   a  mushroom.      =*^ .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. =*^      we  loved  it  dearly.      *=^ ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... *=^==================================*^= ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. *^=  it predated us  by  many years, ^*= ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. ^*= and we did not know its original ^=* .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. ^=*  builders.  they  had  used  its =^* ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... =^* hollow  body  for  many  strange =*^ ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. =*^  purposes - a womblike place  of *=^ ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. *=^ gestation, a  storage  of strage *^= .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. *^= fluids, a temple to some kind of ^*= ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... ^*=    arcane    deity.              ^=* ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. ^=*===================================^* ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. =^*   we  were  grateful  for   its  =*^ .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. =*^  presence,  and  honored  it the *=^ ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... *=^  only  way   we  knew  how:  by  *^= ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. .^=       breaking        in.        ^=. ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. ...^^^****************************^^^... .^=**$£###
##£$**=^..                                          ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^...                                          ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. ...^^^****************************^^^... ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. .=* this place  we called  our city: ^*= .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. ^*= wavy  and  fractured, with  each *^= ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... *^= courtyard on a different height, *=^ ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. *=^ roads  becoming  roofs  becoming =*^ ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. =*^  drains.  and some places,  like =^* .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. =^*  the  spire, nobody had accessed ^=* ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... ^=* for many years. once its  walls  ^*= ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. ^*=  are just  too  high,  and  the  *^= ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. *^= internal routes to labyrinthine, *=^ .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. *=^ a place  among others  is easily =*^ ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... =*^           overlooked.            ^=* ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. ^=*==================================^*= ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. ^*=  so, basically, that summer  the *^= .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. *^= four of us snuck and climbed and =^* ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... *=^ crawled for weeks, searching for =*^ ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. =*^ a secluded place to do drugs and =^* ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. =^*  play music on  our handhelds.   ^=* .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. ^=* instead  we  found  vast  lungs  ^*= ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... ^*=  drained  of  their   catalyst   *^= ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. *^= sludge, and a  birds-eye view to *=^ ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. *=^  make sense of  our roamings for =*^ .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. =*^        years   to   come.        =^* ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... =^*==================================^=* ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. ^=* a  central spine,  a  staircase  ^*= ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. ^*= around  it,  the seven toroidal  *^= .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. *^=  lungs stacked outside, and the  *=^ ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... *=^ control room on top. the sockets =*^ ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. =*^ for its eyes. the smaller spires =^* ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. =^*   for  radiating  consciousness  ^=* .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. .=*           invitations.           ^*. ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... ...^^^****************************^^^... ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^..                                          ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. ...^^^****************************^^^... .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. .^* in twenty fourteen, the tower is *=^ ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... =*^  toppled  and eaten by machines. *^= ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. *=^ after a while, something new  is ^*= ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. *^= conjured in  its place.  it's a  ^=* .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. ^*= tiny maw at first, shorter  than =^* ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... ^=*  us,  and  we let  it  be.  our  =*^ ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. =^* journeys  still end at its feet. *=^ ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. =*^==================================*^= .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. *=^  but then we are  betrayed.  the ^*= ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... *^=  new  tower eats us. others are  ^=* ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. ^*= sucked inside. new buildings are =^* ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. ^=*  manifested overnight,  only to  =*^ .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. =^*  disappear in the  evening fog.  *=^ ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... =*^  for  a while  its some kind of  *^= ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. *=^ timeshare scam. goons are placed ^*= ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. *^= outside, and we get beaten  up a ^=* .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. ^*=  few  times,  and  stop  going.  =^* ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... ^=*===================================*^ ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. =^*  iirc it's  currently  owned  by *=^ ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^. =*^ some energy drink baron who uses *^= .^=**$£###
##£$**=^.. *=^ it to hold all his fourty  eight ^*= ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^... .^=             cars.....            ^=. ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^.. ...^^^****************************^^^... ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^.                                          .^=**$£###
##£$**=^..                                          ..^=**$£##
#£$**=^...                                          ...^=**$£#
##£$**=^..                                          ..^=**$£##
###£$**=^.                                          .^=**$£###