###@†;»^,, ,,^»;†@###
####@†;»^, ,^»;†@####
###@†;»^,, ,,^»;†@###
##@†;»^,,, ,,,^»;†@##
#@†;»^,,,, ,,,,^»;†@#
@†;»^,,,,, ,,,^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^,,, ,,,,,^»;†@
†;»^,,,,,, ,^; 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..... ^», ,,,,,,^»;†
@†;»^,,,,, ,,,^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^,,, ,,,,,^»;†@
#@†;»^,,,, ,,,,^»;†@#
##@†;»^,,, ,,,^»;†@##
###@†;»^,, ,,^»;†@###
####@†;»^, ,^»;†@####
###@†;»^,, ,,^»;†@###