#@#@%%*-,¨ ¨,-*%%@#@#
###@%%*-,¨ ¨,-*%%@###
@%%**,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,**%%@
@%-,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-%@
#%%**--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--**%%#
@%*--,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,,****************************,,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,--*%@
@@#@%%*-,¨ ¨,* 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..... ,-¨ ¨,-*%%@#@@
###@%%*-,¨ ¨¨¨,,,****************************,,,¨¨¨ ¨,-*%%@###
@#@%%%*-,¨ ¨,-*%%%@#@
@%*-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-*%@
#%%**---,¨ ¨,---**%%#
@%*--,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,--*%@
#@#@%%*-,¨ ¨,-*%%@#@#