¨¨¨.~/$$ #&$$/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/$$# ##&$$/~.¨¨
¨.~/$$## ###&$$/~.¨
¨¨.~/$$# ##&$$/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/$$ #&$$/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/$$& ¨¨¨...////////////////////////////...¨¨¨ &$$/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/$$ ¨./ the spire ~/¨ $$/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~/$ ~/.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/~. $/~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~/ /~. once upon a time, there was a /.~ /~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ /.~ benevolent spire, towering well ./~ ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. ./~ above our tallest trees. it was .~/ .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ .~/ clad in white scales, and shaped ~./ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~./ liked a mushroom. ~/. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~/. we loved it dearly. /~. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ /~.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/.~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ /.~ it predated us by many years, ./~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ./~ and we did not know its original .~/ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ .~/ builders. they had used its ~./ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. ~./ hollow body for many strange ~/. .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ ~/. purposes - a womblike place of /~. ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~/ /~. gestation, a storage of strage /.~ /~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~/$ /.~ 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..... .~¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...////////////////////////////...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~/ /~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨