@%;~:,,,,, ,,,,,:~;%@
&@%;~:,,,, ,,,,:~;%@&
#&@%;~:,,, ,,,:~;%@
@#&@%;~:,, ,,:~;%@@
#@#&@%;~:, ,:~;%@@#
@#&@%;~:,, ,,,:::;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;:::,,, ,,:~;%@@
#&@%;~:,,, ,:; 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..... :~, ,,,,,,,,,:
~:,,,,,,,, ,,,:::;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;:::,,, ,,,,,,,,:~
;~:,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,:~;
%;~:,,,,,, ,,,,,,:~;%
@%;~:,,,,, ,,,,,:~;%@
&@%;~:,,,, ,,,,:~;%@&
#&@%;~:,,, ,,,:~;%@