.....«%*¶¶                                          ¶¶*%«.....
....^«\*¶#                                          #¶*\«^....
.^«\%*§§§#                                          #§§§*%\«^.
...^««\%§#                                          #§%\««^...
....^«%§§#                                          #§§%«^....
...^\\*§§# ...^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^... #§§*\\^...
.^«\%**§¶¶ .^\            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.....            ^«. ###¶§*\«^.
....««\\*¶ ...^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^... ¶*\\««....
....^\%**§                                          §**%\^....
.^«\%*§¶##                                          ##¶§*%\«^.
.^«\%*§¶##                                          ##¶§*%\«^.
.^«\%*§¶##                                          ##¶§*%\«^.
.^«\%*§¶##                                          ##¶§*%\«^.