,,,~==%¤§# #§¤%==~,,,
,,,,~==%¤§ §¤%==~,,,,
,,,,,~==%¤ ¤%==~,,,,,
,,,,,,~==% %==~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~== ==~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~==% ,,,~~~============================~~~,,, %==~,,,,,,
,,,,,~==%¤ ,~= 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..... ~=, ¤%==~,,,,,
,,,,,,~==% ,,,~~~============================~~~,,, %==~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~== ==~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~==% %==~,,,,,,
,,,,,~==%¤ ¤%==~,,,,,
,,,,~==%¤§ §¤%==~,,,,
,,,~==%¤§# #§¤%==~,,,