,,#,,,#,,# ##,,,,,#,,
,,,#,,,#,, ,##,,,,,#,
,,,,#,,,#, ,###,,,,,#
#,,,,#,,,# ,#,##,,,,,
,#,,,,#,,, ,,,###,,,,
,,#,,,,#,, ,,,~~~============================~~~,,, #,,#,##,,,
,,,#,,,,#, ,~= 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..... ~», ,##,,,,,,#
#,,,,,,#,, ,,,~~~============================~~~,,, ,###,,,,,,
,#,,,,,,#, ,#,##,,,,,
,,#,,,,,,# ,,,###,,,,
,,,#,,,,,, ,,,#,##,,,
,,,,#,,,,, #,,,,###,,
,,,,,#,,,, ##,,,#,##,