¨¨¨¨¨¨&&¨¨ ¨¨¨&&¨¨&&&
¨¨¨¨¨&¨&¨& ¨¨&¨&¨&¨¨&
¨¨¨¨&&&&&& ¨&&&&&&¨&&
¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨ &¨¨¨¨¨&&¨&
¨¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨ &¨¨¨¨&¨&&&
¨&¨&¨¨¨¨¨& ¨¨¨^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^¨¨¨ &¨¨¨&&&¨¨&
&&&&¨¨¨¨&& ¨^\ 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..... ^~¨ ¨¨&&&¨¨¨&¨
¨&¨¨&¨&&¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^¨¨¨ ¨&¨¨&¨¨&&&
&&¨&&&¨&¨& &&¨&&¨&¨¨&
¨&&¨¨&&&&& ¨&&¨&&&¨&¨
&¨&¨&¨¨¨¨& &¨&&¨¨&&&¨
&&&&&¨¨¨&& &&¨&¨&¨¨&&
¨¨¨¨&¨¨&¨¨ ¨&&&&&¨&¨¨