,,,.«/*§@£                                          £@§*/«.,,,
,,.«/*§@£#                                          #£@§*/«.,,
,.«/*§@£##                                          ##£@§*/«.,
,,.«/*§@£#                                          #£@§*/«.,,
,,,.«/*§@£                                          £@§*/«.,,,
,,,,.«/*§@ ,,,...////////////////////////////...,,, @§*/«.,,,,
,,,,,.«/*§ ,./            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.....            .«, §*/«.,,,,,
,,,,,,.«/* ,,,...////////////////////////////...,,, */«.,,,,,,
,,,,,.«/*§                                          §*/«.,,,,,
,,,,.«/*§@                                          @§*/«.,,,,
,,,.«/*§@£                                          £@§*/«.,,,
,,.«/*§@£#                                          #£@§*/«.,,
,.«/*§@£##                                          ##£@§*/«.,