£&%^^-:... ...:-^^%&£
&%^^-:.... ....:-^^%&
%^^-:..... .....:-^^%
^^-:...... ......:-^^
^-:....... .......:-^
^^-:...... ...:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::... ......:-^^
%^^-:..... .:^ 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..... :-. .....:-^^%
^^-:...... ...:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::... ......:-^^
^-:....... .......:-^
^^-:...... ......:-^^
%^^-:..... .....:-^^%
&%^^-:.... ....:-^^%&
£&%^^-:... ...:-^^%&£