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