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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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