.:«^=$#¶@@                                          @@¶#$=^«:.
.:«^=$#¶@#                                          #@¶#$=^«:.
.:«^=$#¶@#                                          #@¶#$=^«:.
....««^^=#                                          #=^^««....
.:«^=$¶@##                                          ##@¶$=^«:.
......«=$# ...:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::... #$=«......
.:«^=$#¶@# .:^            the  spire            «^. #@¶#$=^«:.
.:«^=$#¶¶@ «^:««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««^«: @¶¶#$=^«:.
....«««==# ^«: 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 :^« #==«::::..
.:«^=$#@## ^:«  new  tower eats us.  others are :«^ ##@#$=^«:.
...:«^^$¶@ :^« sucked inside. new buildings are «:^ @¶$^^«:...
.:«««^^$$¶ :«^ manifested  overnight, only  to  «^: ¶$$^^«««:.
.:«^=$#¶@@ «:^ disappear in  the  evening  fog. ^«: @@¶#$=^«:.
.:«^=$#¶@# «^:  for  a  while its  some kind of ^:« #@¶#$=^«:.
.:«^=$#¶@# ^«: timeshare scam. goons are placed :^« #@¶#$=^«:.
.:«^=$¶@## ^:« outside, and we get beaten  up a :«^ ##@¶$=^«:.
.:«^=$#¶@# :^«  few  times,  and  stop  going.  «:^ #@¶#$=^«:.
.:«^=$#¶@# :«^«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««^: #@¶#$=^«:.
...::«=$## «:^ iirc  it's  currently owned  by  ^«: ##$=«::...
....:««^$# «^: some energy drink baron who uses ^:« #$^««:....
.:«^=$#¶@# ^«: it to  hold all his fourty eight :^« #@¶#$=^«:.
.:«^=$#¶@@ .:«            cars.....             :«. @@¶#$=^«:.
.:«^=$#¶@# ...:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::... #@¶#$=^«:.
.:«^=$#¶@#                                          #@¶#$=^«:.
.....:^$$¶                                          ¶$$^:.....
.....«==#¶                                          ¶#==«.....
.:«^=$#¶¶@                                          @¶¶#$=^«:.
.:«^=$#¶@#                                          #@¶#$=^«:.