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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. :-, #,#,,#,#,,
,#,,##,##, ,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,, ####,####,
,##,#,##,# ,,,,##,,,#
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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. :-: ,,,###,##,
,,,,##,,,# :-:----------------------------------::- #,,#,,##,#
#,,,#,#,,# ::- 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. ::, ####,##,,#
,######,,# ,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,, ,,,,##,#,#
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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. :-: #,,#,,,#,#
,,,##,,### -::----------------------------------::- ,#,##,,###
#,,#,#,#,, :-: 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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