,,,,,,»*=¤ ¤=*»,,,,,,
,,,,,,~*@¤ ¤@*~,,,,,,
,,,,,,»*@£ £@*»,,,,,,
,,,,~*@¤£# #£¤@*~,,,,
,,,,,,»=¤£ £¤=»,,,,,,
,,,~*=@@¤# ,,,~~~****************************~~~,,, #¤@@=*~,,,
,,,,~*@¤£# ,~* 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..... ~», ¤¤¤@==*»~,
,~»*=@¤### ,,,~~~****************************~~~,,, ###¤@=*»~,
,~»*=@¤££# #££¤@=*»~,
,,,~**===¤ ¤===**~,,,
,~»*=@¤£## ##£¤@=*»~,
,~»*==@¤¤# #¤¤@==*»~,
,~»*=@¤£## ##£¤@=*»~,