...~~~%& #&&%~~~...
.-~;%&&¶## ##¶&&%;~-.
.-~;%&&¶## ##¶&&%;~-.
.---;;;%&& &&%;;;---.
.-~;%&&¶## ##¶&&%;~-.
.-~;%&&¶## ...---;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;---... ##¶&&%;~-.
.-~;%&&¶## .-; 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..... -~. ##¶&&%;~-.
...-;;;%&& ...---;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;---... &&%;;;-...
.....-;;%& &%;;-.....
.-~;%&&¶## ##¶&&%;~-.
.-~;;;%&¶# #¶&%;;;~-.
.-~;%&&¶## ##¶&&%;~-.
.-~;;;;& #&&;;;;~-.