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