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§£££*:¨¨¨¨ *«: 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. :«¨ ¨:«*****£§
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#§£****«:¨ ¨«* 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. :«* ¨¨¨¨«*%£§#
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@§§££%*«:¨ :*« 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. «:* ¨¨¨¨¨:««%§
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#£**::¨¨¨¨ :«* 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. :*¨ ¨¨¨:«%%££§
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@@#§£%*«:¨ ¨:* 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. *«: ¨:«*%£§#@#
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###§£%*«:¨ *«: 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..... :«¨ ¨:«*%%£££#
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