#@@@£*\«,, ,,«\*£@@@#
##@@£*\«,, ,,«\*£@@##
##@@£*\«,, ,,«\*£@@##
##@@£*\«,, ,,«\*£@@##
@@***\,,,, ,,,,\***@@
##@@£*\«,, ,,,,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,,,, ,,«\*£@@##
@£\,,,,,,, ,,\ 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..... ,«, ,,«\*£@@##
@@@*«,,,,, ,,,,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,,,, ,,,,,«*@@@
@£\«,,,,,, ,,,,,,«\£@
##@@£*\«,, ,,«\*£@@##
@*««,,,,,, ,,,,,,««*@
##@@£*\«,, ,,«\*£@@##
##@@£*\«,, ,,«\*£@@##