¤**==«....                                          ....«==**¤
@@£=:.....                                          .....:=£@@
@¤***««...                                          ...««***¤@
#@@¤£*=«:.                                          .:«=*£¤@@#
@¤**=««...                                          ...««=**¤@
@£=::::... ...:::============================:::... ...::::=£@
@£=====«:. .:=            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.....            :«. .....«=££¤
#¤¤£*==«:. ...:::============================:::... .:«==*£¤¤#
##@¤£*=«:.                                          .:«=*£¤@##
#@£==«....                                          ....«==£@#
#@£*««....                                          ....««*£@#
#¤*««««...                                          ...««««*¤#
#@£**==«:.                                          .:«==**£@#