@¶#@$*~-,, ,,-~*$@#¶@
¶#@$*~-,,, ,,,-~*$@#¶
#@$*~-,,,, ,,,,-~*$@#
@$*~-,,,,, ,,,,,-~*$@
$*~-,,,,,, ,,,,,,-~*$
*~-,,,,,,, ,,,---****************************---,,, ,,,,,,,-~*
~-,,,,,,,, ,-* 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 *~- ,,,,,,,-~*
$*~-,,,,,, ~*- some energy drink baron who uses *-~ ,,,,,,-~*$
@$*~-,,,,, *~- it to hold all his fourty eight -*~ ,,,,,-~*$@
#@$*~-,,,, ,-~ cars..... -~, ,,,,-~*$@#
¶#@$*~-,,, ,,,---****************************---,,, ,,,-~*$@#¶
@¶#@$*~-,, ,,-~*$@#¶@
#@¶#@$*~-, ,-~*$@#¶@#
@¶#@$*~-,, ,,-~*$@#¶@
¶#@$*~-,,, ,,,-~*$@#¶
#@$*~-,,,, ,,,,-~*$@#