,,,,,,~^%£ £%^~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~^% %^~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~^ ^~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~^ ^~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~^% ,,,,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,,,, %^~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~^%£ ,,^ 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..... ,~, ^~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ,,,,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,,,,, ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~^ ^~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~^% %^~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~^%£ £%^~,,,,,,
,,,,,~^%££ ££%^~,,,,,
,,,,~^%££# #££%^~,,,,