,,~^*§¤£££                                          £££¤§*^~,,
,,,,~~**§£                                          £§**~~,,,,
,,,,,~~*§¤                                          ¤§*~~,,,,,
,,,,^***§£                                          £§***^,,,,
,,,,,,~*¤¤                                          ¤¤*~,,,,,,
,,~^*§¤¤¤@ ,,,,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,,,, @¤¤¤§*^~,,
,,,,~^§§¤£ ,,^            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.....            ,~, @¤§^~,,,,,
,,,,,^^§¤@ ,,,,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,,,, @¤§^^,,,,,
,,~^*§¤@##                                          ##@¤§*^~,,
,,~^*§¤£@#                                          #@£¤§*^~,,
,,~^*§£@##                                          ##@£§*^~,,
,,~^*§¤£@#                                          #@£¤§*^~,,
,,,,~^**¤¤                                          ¤¤**^~,,,,