¨¨:=/$¤§## ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=/$¤ ¤$/=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# ¨¨¨:::////////////////////////////:::¨¨¨ #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## ¨:/ the spire =/¨ ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨:=/$¤§### =/:==================================/=: ###§¤$/=:¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## /=: once upon a time, there was a /:= ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# /:= benevolent spire, towering well :/= #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ :/= above our tallest trees. it was :=/ §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=/$¤ :=/ clad in white scales, and shaped =:/ ¤$/=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ =:/ liked a mushroom. =/: §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# =/: we loved it dearly. /=: #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## /=:==================================/:= ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨:=/$¤§### /:= it predated us by many years, :/= ###§¤$/=:¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## :/= and we did not know its original :=/ ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# :=/ builders. they had used its =:/ #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ =:/ hollow body for many strange =/: §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=/$¤ =/: purposes - a womblike place of /=: ¤$/=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ /=: gestation, a storage of strage /:= §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# /:= fluids, a temple to some kind of :/= #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## :/= arcane deity. :=/ ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨:=/$¤§### :=/===================================:/ ###§¤$/=:¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## =:/ we were grateful for its =/: ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# =/: presence, and honored it the /=: #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ /=: only way we knew how: by /:= §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=/$¤ ¨:= breaking in. :=¨ ¤$/=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ ¨¨¨:::////////////////////////////:::¨¨¨ §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨:=/$¤§### ¨¨¨:::////////////////////////////:::¨¨¨ ###§¤$/=:¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## ¨=/ this place we called our city: :/= ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# :/= wavy and fractured, with each /:= #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ /:= courtyard on a different height, /=: §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=/$¤ /=: roads becoming roofs becoming =/: ¤$/=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ =/: drains. and some places, like =:/ §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# =:/ the spire, nobody had accessed :=/ #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## :=/ for many years. once its walls :/= ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨:=/$¤§### :/= are just too high, and the /:= ###§¤$/=:¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## /:= internal routes to labyrinthine, /=: ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# /=: a place among others is easily =/: #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ =/: overlooked. :=/ §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=/$¤ :=/==================================:/= ¤$/=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ :/= so, basically, that summer the /:= §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# /:= four of us snuck and climbed and =:/ #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## /=: crawled for weeks, searching for =/: ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨:=/$¤§### =/: a secluded place to do drugs and =:/ ###§¤$/=:¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## =:/ play music on our handhelds. :=/ ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# :=/ instead we found vast lungs :/= #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ :/= drained of their catalyst /:= §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=/$¤ /:= sludge, and a birds-eye view to /=: ¤$/=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ /=: make sense of our roamings for =/: §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# =/: years to come. =:/ #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## =:/==================================:=/ ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨:=/$¤§### :=/ a central spine, a staircase :/= ###§¤$/=:¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## :/= around it, the seven toroidal /:= ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# /:= lungs stacked outside, and the /=: #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ /=: control room on top. the sockets =/: §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=/$¤ =/: for its eyes. the smaller spires =:/ ¤$/=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ =:/ for radiating consciousness :=/ §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# ¨=/ invitations. :/¨ #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## ¨¨¨:::////////////////////////////:::¨¨¨ ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨:=/$¤§### ###§¤$/=:¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## ¨¨¨:::////////////////////////////:::¨¨¨ ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# ¨:/ in twenty fourteen, the tower is /=: #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ =/: toppled and eaten by machines. /:= §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=/$¤ /=: after a while, something new is :/= ¤$/=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ /:= conjured in its place. it's a :=/ §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# :/= tiny maw at first, shorter than =:/ #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## :=/ us, and we let it be. our =/: ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨:=/$¤§### =:/ journeys still end at its feet. /=: ###§¤$/=:¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## =/:==================================/:= ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# /=: but then we are betrayed. the :/= #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ /:= new tower eats us. others are :=/ §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=/$¤ :/= sucked inside. new buildings are =:/ ¤$/=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ :=/ manifested overnight, only to =/: §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# =:/ disappear in the evening fog. /=: #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## =/: for a while its some kind of /:= ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨:=/$¤§### /=: timeshare scam. goons are placed :/= ###§¤$/=:¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## /:= outside, and we get beaten up a :=/ ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# :/= few times, and stop going. =:/ #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ :=/===================================/: §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=/$¤ =:/ iirc it's currently owned by /=: ¤$/=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ =/: some energy drink baron who uses /:= §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# /=: it to hold all his fourty eight :/= #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## ¨:= cars..... :=¨ ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨:=/$¤§### ¨¨¨:::////////////////////////////:::¨¨¨ ###§¤$/=:¨
¨¨:=/$¤§## ##§¤$/=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=/$¤§# #§¤$/=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=/$¤ ¤$/=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=/$¤§ §¤$/=:¨¨¨¨