#£@%^=^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^=^%@£#
£@%^=^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^=^%@£
@%^=^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^=^%@
%^=^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^%
@%^=^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^=^%@
£@%^=^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^=^%@£
#£@%^=^¨¨¨ ¨^^ 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..... ^=¨ ¨¨¨^=^%@£#
##£@%^=^¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨^=^%@£##
###£@%^=^¨ ¨^=^%@£###
##£@%^=^¨¨ ¨¨^=^%@£##
#£@%^=^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^=^%@£#
£@%^=^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^=^%@£
@%^=^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^=^%@