^»,....... .......,»^
»,........ ........,»
,......... .........,
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... ..........
.......... .,^ 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 ,^» ......,»^*
$*^»,..... .,» cars..... ,». .....,»^*$
@$*^»,.... ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... ....,»^*$@
@@$*^»,... ...,»^*$@@
#@@$*^»,.. ..,»^*$@@#
##@@$*^»,. .,»^*$@@##
#@@$*^»,.. ..,»^*$@@#
@@$*^»,... ...,»^*$@@