¨¨¨¨¨~«;†@ @†;«~¨¨¨¨¨
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¨¨¨¨¨~«;†@ @†;«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«;†@# #@†;«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«;†@## ##@†;«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«;†@### ¨¨¨~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~¨¨¨ ###@†;«~¨¨
¨~«;†@#### ¨~; 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..... ~«¨ ####@†;«~¨
¨¨~«;†@### ¨¨¨~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~¨¨¨ ###@†;«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«;†@## ##@†;«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«;†@# #@†;«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«;†@ @†;«~¨¨¨¨¨
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