.^«*$@§@## ##@§@$*«^.
.....^*@§§ §§@*^.....
.^«*$@§¶@# #@¶§@$*«^.
...^***$§@ @§$***^...
.^«*$@§¶@@ @@¶§@$*«^.
....^«*@¶¶ ...^^^****************************^^^... ¶¶@*«^....
.^^^««$§¶@ .^* the spire «*. @¶§$««^^^.
.^^«*$@§¶¶ «*^««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««*«^ ¶¶§@$*«^^.
..^^^*@@§@ *«^ 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 *^« ¶@*^^.....
.^«*$@§@## *«^ it to hold all his fourty eight ^*« ##@§@$*«^.
...^^««$§¶ .^« cars..... ^«. ¶§$««^^...
.^«*$@§¶¶@ ...^^^****************************^^^... @¶¶§@$*«^.
.^«**$$$@¶ ¶@$$$**«^.
.^«*$@§@## ##@§@$*«^.
.^«*$@§¶@# #@¶§@$*«^.
....^«$@¶¶ ¶¶@$«^....
...^^««$§@ @§$««^^...