##.#.....#                                          ...#..##.#
.#..#....#                                          ....#.##.#
..#..#...#                                          #.....##..
...#..#...                                          .#....###.
....#..#..                                          ..#...#.##
#....#..#. ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... ...#....##
##....#..# .,\            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.....             ,«. .#..#....#
.##.....#. ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... ..#..#...#
.###.....#                                          ...#..#...
.#.##.....                                          ....#..#..
...###....                                          #....#..#.
...#.##...                                          .#....#..#
#....###..                                          ..#....#..