,,.~/**¶@#                                          #@¶**/~.,,
,,,.~/**¶@                                          @¶**/~.,,,
,,,,.~/**¶                                          ¶**/~.,,,,
,,,,,.~/**                                          **/~.,,,,,
,,,,,,.~/*                                          */~.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.~/ ,,,...////////////////////////////...,,, /~.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,.~/* ,./            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.....             .~, ¶**/~.,,,,
,,,,,.~/** ,,,...////////////////////////////...,,, **/~.,,,,,
,,,,,,.~/*                                          */~.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.~/                                          /~.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,.~/*                                          */~.,,,,,,
,,,,,.~/**                                          **/~.,,,,,
,,,,.~/**¶                                          ¶**/~.,,,,