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