,&&&&,,,,, ,,,&&&&&,,
,,&&,,&&&& ,&,,&&&,,&
,,,,,,,&&& ,,,,,&,,,,
&&&&&&,,&& ,&&&,,,&&&
&&&&&,,,,& ,,&,,&,,&&
&&&&,,&&,, ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, &,,,,,,,,&
&&&,,,,,,, ,~/ 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..... ~», ,,&&&&&&&&
&&,,&&,,&& ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, &,,&&&&&&&
&,,,,,,,,& ,,,,&&&&&&
,,&&&&&&,, ,&&,,&&&&&
,,,&&&&,,, ,,,,,,&&&,
&&,,&&,,&& &&&&&,,&,,
,,,,,,,,,& &&&&,,,,,,