,,«\*$#@##                                          ##@#$*\«,,
,,«\*$#@##                                          ##@#$*\«,,
,,«\*$####                                          ####$*\«,,
,,,,«\**##                                          ##**\«,,,,
,,«\*$#@##                                          ##@#$*\«,,
,,«\*$##@@ ,,,,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,,,, @@##$*\«,,
,,,,«**#@# ,,\            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 \,« @$$\\\\«,,
,,,«««\*$# \«, timeshare scam. goons are placed ,\« #$*\«««,,,
,,,,,,«*## \,« outside,  and we get beaten up a ,«\ ##*«,,,,,,
,,,,\\*#@@ ,\«  few  times,  and  stop  going.  «,\ @@#*\\,,,,
,,,,,«\$$@ ,«\«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««\, @$$\«,,,,,
,,,,,\$$$@ «,\  iirc  it's  currently  owned by \«, @$$$\,,,,,
,,«\*$#@## «\, some energy drink baron who uses \,« ##@#$*\«,,
,,«\*$@### \«,  it to hold all his fourty eight ,\« ###@$*\«,,
,,«\*$#@@# ,,«             cars.....            ,«, #@@#$*\«,,
,,«\*$#@## ,,,,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,,,, ##@#$*\«,,
,,«««««**#                                          #**«««««,,
,,,,,«\*$@                                          @$*\«,,,,,
,,«\*$#@##                                          ##@#$*\«,,
,,«\*$#@##                                          ##@#$*\«,,
,,«\*$#@##                                          ##@#$*\«,,