..^»*†£# ##&£†*»^..
...^»*†£ #&£†*»^...
....^»*†£& &£†*»^....
.....^»*†£ £†*»^.....
......^»*† †*»^......
.......^»* ...^^^****************************^^^... *»^.......
........^» .^* 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..... ^». ##&£†*»^..
.^»*†£## ...^^^****************************^^^... ###&£†*»^.
..^»*†£# ##&£†*»^..
...^»*†£ #&£†*»^...
....^»*†£& &£†*»^....
.....^»*†£ £†*»^.....
......^»*† †*»^......