¨¨:=:%$&@@ @@&$%:=:¨¨
¨¨¨:=:%$&@ @&$%:=:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:=:%$& &$%:=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=:%$ $%:=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:=:% %:=:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=: ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ :=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:= ¨:: the spire =:¨ =:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=: =::==================================:=: :=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:=:% :=: once upon a time, there was a ::= %:=:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=:%$ ::= 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..... :=¨ &$%:=:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=:%$ ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ $%:=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:=:% %:=:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=: :=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:= =:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:=: :=:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:=:% %:=:¨¨¨¨¨¨