†/=~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~=/†
$†/=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=/†$
&$†/=~,,,, ,,,,~=/†$&
£&$†/=~,,, ,,,~=/†$&£
@£&$†/=~,, ,,~=/†$&£@
#@£&$†/=~, ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, ,~=/†$&£@#
@£&$†/=~,, ,~/ the spire =/, ,,~=/†$&£@
£&$†/=~,,, =/~==================================/=~ ,,,~=/†$&£
&$†/=~,,,, /=~ once upon a time, there was a /~= ,,,,~=/†$&
$†/=~,,,,, /~= benevolent spire, towering well ~/= ,,,,,~=/†$
†/=~,,,,,, ~/= 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 ~=/ ,,,,,,~=/†
$†/=~,,,,, ~/= few times, and stop going. =~/ ,,,,,~=/†$
&$†/=~,,,, ~=/===================================/~ ,,,,~=/†$&
£&$†/=~,,, =~/ iirc it's currently owned by /=~ ,,,~=/†$&£
@£&$†/=~,, =/~ some energy drink baron who uses /~= ,,~=/†$&£@
#@£&$†/=~, /=~ it to hold all his fourty eight ~/= ,~=/†$&£@#
@£&$†/=~,, ,~= cars..... ~=, ,,~=/†$&£@
£&$†/=~,,, ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, ,,,~=/†$&£
&$†/=~,,,, ,,,,~=/†$&
$†/=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=/†$
†/=~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~=/†
/=~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~=/
=~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~=