....&&&&.. &&&&&&....
&&&..&&..& &&&&&..&&&
&&........ &&&&....&&
&..&&&&&&. &&&..&&..&
....&&&&.. .&........
&&&..&&..& ...~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~... ...&&&&&&&
&&........ .~; 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..... ~-. &&..&&&&..
.....&&... ...~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~... &....&&...
&&&&....&& ..&&....&&
&&&..&&... &....&&..&
&&......&& ..&&......
...&&&&... &....&&&&.
&&..&&..&& ..&&..&&..