##@£%*=~.,                                          ,.~=*%£@##
@£*==.,,,,                                          ,,,,.==*£@
##@£%*=~.,                                          ,.~=*%£@##
##@£%*=~.,                                          ,.~=*%£@##
#@%*~~~~.,                                          ,.~~~~*%@#
##@£%*=~., ,,,...============================...,,, ,.~=*%£@##
##@£%*=~., ,.=            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.....             .~, ,.~~~**%£#
£££%%*=~., ,,,...============================...,,, ,.~=*%%£££
##@£%*=~.,                                          ,.~=*%£@##
##@£%*=~.,                                          ,.~=*%£@##
##@£%*=~.,                                          ,.~=*%£@##
@£%*==~.,,                                          ,,.~==*%£@
@££%*~,,,,                                          ,,,,~*%££@