...:~*†$@#                                          #@$†*~:...
..:~*†$@##                                          ##@$†*~:..
.:~*†$@###                                          ###@$†*~:.
..:~*†$@##                                          ##@$†*~:..
...:~*†$@#                                          #@$†*~:...
....:~*†$@ ...:::****************************:::... @$†*~:....
.....:~*†$ .:*            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.....             :~. $†*~:.....
....:~*†$@ ...:::****************************:::... @$†*~:....
...:~*†$@#                                          #@$†*~:...
..:~*†$@##                                          ##@$†*~:..
.:~*†$@###                                          ###@$†*~:.
..:~*†$@##                                          ##@$†*~:..
...:~*†$@#                                          #@$†*~:...