.~«\*@§£##                                          ##£§@*\«~.
.~«\*@§£##                                          ##£§@*\«~.
.~«\*@§£££                                          £££§@*\«~.
.~«\*@§£##                                          ##£§@*\«~.
.~«\*@@@£#                                          #£@@@*\«~.
.~«\*§£### ...~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~... ###£§*\«~.
.....~~\*§ .~\            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.....             ~«. ##£§@*\«~.
.~«\*@£### ...~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~... ###£@*\«~.
.......«*§                                          §*«.......
.~«\*@§£##                                          ##£§@*\«~.
...«\**@@§                                          §@@**\«...
.~«\*@§£##                                          ##£§@*\«~.
.~«\*@§£##                                          ##£§@*\«~.