,,,,,-«*$$ $$*«-,,,,,
,,,,-«*$$# #$$*«-,,,,
,,,-«*$$## ##$$*«-,,,
,,-«*$$### ###$$*«-,,
,-«*$$#### ####$$*«-,
,,-«*$$### ,,,---****************************---,,, ###$$*«-,,
,,,-«*$$## ,-* the spire «*, ##$$*«-,,,
,,,,-«*$$# «*-««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««*«- #$$*«-,,,,
,,,,,-«*$$ *«- once upon a time, there was a *-« $$*«-,,,,,
,,,,,,-«*$ *-« 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. *«- $*«-,,,,,,
,,,,,-«*$$ «*- for a while its some kind of *-« $$*«-,,,,,
,,,,-«*$$# *«- timeshare scam. goons are placed -*« #$$*«-,,,,
,,,-«*$$## *-« outside, and we get beaten up a -«* ##$$*«-,,,
,,-«*$$### -*« few times, and stop going. «-* ###$$*«-,,
,-«*$$#### -«*«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««*- ####$$*«-,
,,-«*$$### «-* iirc it's currently owned by *«- ###$$*«-,,
,,,-«*$$## «*- some energy drink baron who uses *-« ##$$*«-,,,
,,,,-«*$$# *«- it to hold all his fourty eight -*« #$$*«-,,,,
,,,,,-«*$$ ,-« cars..... -«, $$*«-,,,,,
,,,,,,-«*$ ,,,---****************************---,,, $*«-,,,,,,
,,,,,,,-«* *«-,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,-« «-,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,- -,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,