¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨&& ¨&&&&&&&&¨
¨&&¨¨¨¨&¨& &¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨
&¨&¨¨¨&&&¨ &¨¨¨¨¨¨&&¨
&&&¨¨&¨¨&& &¨¨¨¨¨&¨&&
¨¨&¨&&¨&¨& &¨¨¨¨&&&¨¨
¨&&&¨&&&&¨ ¨¨¨~~~////////////////////////////~~~¨¨¨ &¨¨¨&¨¨&¨¨
&¨¨&&¨¨¨&¨ ¨~/ 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..... ~=¨ ¨&&&&&&&&&
&&¨¨¨&&¨&¨ ¨¨¨~~~////////////////////////////~~~¨¨¨ &¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&
¨&¨¨&¨&&&& &¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨
&&¨&&&¨¨¨¨ &¨¨¨¨¨¨&&¨
¨&&¨¨&¨¨¨& &¨¨¨¨¨&¨&&
&¨&¨&&¨¨&& &¨¨¨¨&&&¨&
&&&&¨&¨&¨¨ &¨¨¨&¨¨&&¨