.,«;†£&@##                                          ##@&£†;«,.
..,«;†£&@#                                          #@&£†;«,..
...,«;†£&@                                          @&£†;«,...
..,«;†£&@#                                          #@&£†;«,..
.,«;†£&@##                                          ##@&£†;«,.
..,«;†£&@# ...,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,... #@&£†;«,..
...,«;†£&@ .,;            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.....            ,«. @&£†;«,...
..,«;†£&@# ...,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,... #@&£†;«,..
.,«;†£&@##                                          ##@&£†;«,.
..,«;†£&@#                                          #@&£†;«,..
...,«;†£&@                                          @&£†;«,...
..,«;†£&@#                                          #@&£†;«,..
.,«;†£&@##                                          ##@&£†;«,.