¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:::============================:::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨:= 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..... :»¨ ¨:»=§§§@##
#@§§§=»:¨¨ ¨¨¨:::============================:::¨¨¨ ¨¨:»=§§§@#
@§§§=»:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:»=§§§@
§§§=»:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:»=§§§
§§=»:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:»=§§
§=»:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:»=§
=»:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:»=