,,«=$$#@##                                          ##@#$$=«,,
,,«=$$#@@@                                          @@@#$$=«,,
,,«==$$$$#                                          #$$$$==«,,
,,«=$$#@##                                          ##@#$$=«,,
,,,,,,«=$#                                          #$=«,,,,,,
,,,,,,,=$@ ,,,,,,============================,,,,,, @$=,,,,,,,
,,,,,«=$@@ ,,=            the  spire            «=, @@$=«,,,,,
,,,,==$#@@ «=,««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««=«, @@#$==,,,,
,,«=$$#@@# =«, 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.....            ,«, ##@#$$=«,,
,,,,,«$$@@ ,,,,,,============================,,,,,, @@$$«,,,,,
,,«=$$#@##                                          ##@#$$=«,,
,,,,,,««$#                                          #$««,,,,,,
,,,,«$$$$@                                          @$$$$«,,,,
,,«=$$####                                          ####$$=«,,
,,«=$$#@##                                          ##@#$$=«,,