###&$†*»,¨ ¨,»*†$##
&&†*»»,,¨¨ ¨¨,,»»*†&&
&$†*,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,*†$&
###&$†*»,¨ ¨,»*†$##
#&&†»,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,»†&
#&&&$†*»,¨ ¨¨¨,,,****************************,,,¨¨¨ ¨,»*†$&&
###&$†*»,¨ ¨,* the spire »*¨ ¨,»*†$##
###&$†*»,¨ »*,»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»*», ¨,»*†$##
&†»¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ *», 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..... ,»¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨»†&
###&$†*»,¨ ¨¨¨,,,****************************,,,¨¨¨ ¨,»*†$##
#&&&$†*»,¨ ¨,»*†$&&
#&&&$†*»,¨ ¨,»*†$&&
#&†»¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨»†
###&$†*»,¨ ¨,»*†$##
#&$$$†*»,¨ ¨,»*†$$$