¨:«\†%%%@@                                          @@%%%†\«:¨
¨¨¨¨««\%@@                                          @@%\««¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨«††%@#                                          #@%††«¨¨¨¨
¨:«†%@####                                          ####@%†«:¨
¨:«\†%####                                          ####%†\«:¨
¨:«\†%@### ¨¨¨:::\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\:::¨¨¨ ###@%†\«:¨
¨:«\†%@### ¨:\            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.....             :«¨ ###@%†\«:¨
¨:«\†%@### ¨¨¨:::\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\:::¨¨¨ ###@%†\«:¨
¨:«\†%@###                                          ###@%†\«:¨
¨¨¨:«««†%@                                          @%†«««:¨¨¨
¨:«\†%@###                                          ###@%†\«:¨
¨:«\†%@###                                          ###@%†\«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:\%#                                          #%\:¨¨¨¨¨¨