..@....@@@ .@@@..@.@.
.@@...@..@ @..@.@@@@.
@.@..@@.@@ @.@@@...@.
@@@.@.@@.@ @@..@..@@@
..@@@@.@@@ .@.@@.@...
.@...@@..@ ...^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^... @@@.@@@...
@@..@.@.@@ .^\ 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..... ^~. @.@.@..@.@
@.@.@..@.. ...^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^... @@@@@.@@@@
@@@@@.@@.. ....@@....
....@@.@.@ ...@.@...@
...@.@@@@@ ..@@@@..@@
..@@@..... .@...@.@.@
.@..@....@ @@..@@@@@@