,~«/*£#£##                                          ##£#£*/«~,
,,~«/**£##                                          ##£**/«~,,
,~«/*£#£##                                          ##£#£*/«~,
,~«/*£#£##                                          ##£#£*/«~,
,,,,~««/*#                                          #*/««~,,,,
,~««««*£££ ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, £££*««««~,
,,,~~~/*## ,~/            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.....             ~«, ££/~~~,,,,
,,,,,,«*££ ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, ££*«,,,,,,
,,,~//*£#£                                          £#£*//~,,,
,~«/*£#£##                                          ##£#£*/«~,
,~«/*£#£##                                          ##£#£*/«~,
,,,,,«*#££                                          ££#*«,,,,,
,~«/*££###                                          ###££*/«~,