,,,,,,,»%@ @%»,,,,,,,
,,,,,»»%@@ @@%»»,,,,,
,,»/%&@@## ##@@&%/»,,
,,»/%&@@@# #@@@&%/»,,
,,,,,,//%@ @%//,,,,,,
,,»/%&@@## ,,,,,,////////////////////////////,,,,,, ##@@&%/»,,
,,,»»%%@@@ ,,/ 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..... ,», ##@@&%/»,,
,,»/%&@@## ,,,,,,////////////////////////////,,,,,, ##@@&%/»,,
,,,,»//&@@ @@&//»,,,,
,,»///%&@@ @@&%///»,,
,,,,,,»»%@ @%»»,,,,,,
,,,,,,/&@# #@&/,,,,,,
,,»/%%%&&@ @&&%%%/»,,