....,«^$££                                          ££$^«,....
...,«^$££@                                          @££$^«,...
..,«^$££@#                                          #@££$^«,..
.,«^$££@##                                          ##@££$^«,.
..,«^$££@#                                          #@££$^«,..
...,«^$££@ ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... @££$^«,...
....,«^$££ .,^            the  spire            «^. ££$^«,....
.....,«^$£ «^,««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««^«, £$^«,.....
......,«^$ ^«, 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.....            ,«. ££$^«,....
.....,«^$£ ...,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,... £$^«,.....
......,«^$                                          $^«,......
.......,«^                                          ^«,.......
........,«                                          «,........
.........,                                          ,.........
........,«                                          «,........