&&&.&..... .&.&..&..&
..&&&....& &&&&.&&.&.
.&..&...&. ...&&.&&&.
&&.&&..&&. ..&.&&..&.
.&&.&.&.&& .&&&.&.&&&
&.&&&&&&.& ...,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,... &..&&&&..&
&&.....&&& .,; 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..... ,«. &..&&&&..&
&.&.&..... ...,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,... &.&...&.&.
&&&&&..... &&&..&&&&&
....&..... ..&.&.....
...&&..... .&&&&.....
..&.&..... &...&.....
.&&&&....& &..&&.....