,§,,§,§,§, ,§§,§,§,§,
§§,§§,§,§, §,§,§,§,§,
,§,,§,§,§, §,§,§,§,§,
§§,§§,§,§, §,§,§,§,§,
,§,,§,§,§, §,§,§,§,§,
§§,§§,§,§, ,,,...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...,,, §,§,§,§,§,
,§,,§,§,§, ,.^ 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..... .~, §,§,§,§,§,
§§,§§,§,§, ,,,...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...,,, §,§,§,§,§,
,§,,§,§,§, §,§,§,§,§,
§§,§§,§,§, §,§,§,§,§,
,§,,§,§,§, §,§,§,§,§,
§§,§§,§,§, §,§,§,§,§,
,§,,§,§,§, §,§,§,§,§,