.,~:$*££@@ @@££*$:~,.
.....~:*££ ££*:~.....
....,~$$*£ £*$$~,....
.,~::$$££@ @££$$::~,.
.,~:$*£££@ @£££*$:~,.
.,~:$*££@# ...,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,... #@££*$:~,.
......~:*£ .,: 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 ,:~ £$$~......
.,~:::$*££ :,~ outside, and we get beaten up a ,~: ££*$:::~,.
.,~:$*££## ,:~ few times, and stop going. ~,: ##££*$:~,.
.,~:$$$$*£ ,~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:, £*$$$$:~,.
.,,,,,:$*£ ~,: iirc it's currently owned by :~, £*$:,,,,,.
...~::$**£ ~:, some energy drink baron who uses :,~ £**$::~...
.,~~:$*££@ :~, it to hold all his fourty eight ,:~ @££*$:~~,.
..,~::*££@ .,~ cars..... ,~. @££*::~,..
.,~:$*££@# ...,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,... #@££*$:~,.
.....~$$*£ £*$$~.....
.,~:$*££@# #@££*$:~,.
.,~:$*££@# #@££*$:~,.
.,~:$*£@## ##@£*$:~,.
.,~:$*££## ##££*$:~,.