==~....... .......~==
===~...... ......~===
&===~..... .....~===&
@&===~.... ....~===&@
#@&===~... ...~===&@#
##@&===~.. ...~~~============================~~~... ..~===&@##
###@&===~. .~= 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..... ~=. .....~===&
@&===~.... ...~~~============================~~~... ....~===&@
#@&===~... ...~===&@#
##@&===~.. ..~===&@##
###@&===~. .~===&@###
##@&===~.. ..~===&@##
#@&===~... ...~===&@#