..§.§§§..§ .......§..
....§.§§.. ........§.
......§§§. §........§
§.....§.§§ .§........
.§......§§ ..§.......
..§.....§. ...,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,... ...§......
...§...... .,; 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..... ,=. ........§.
...§§§..§. ...,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,... .........§
§..§.§§..§ §.........
.§...§§§.. §§........
..§..§.§§. §§§.......
...§...§§§ §.§§......
....§..§.§ ..§§§.....