,¤¤,¤,,¤,¤ ,¤¤,¤¤,¤,¤
,,¤,¤,¤¤,¤ ¤,¤,,¤,¤,¤
,¤¤,¤,,¤,¤ ¤,¤,¤¤,¤,¤
,,¤,¤,¤¤,¤ ¤,¤,,¤,¤,¤
,¤¤,¤,,¤,¤ ¤,¤,¤¤,¤,¤
,,¤,¤,¤¤,¤ ,,,:::////////////////////////////:::,,, ¤,¤,,¤,¤,¤
,¤¤,¤,,¤,¤ ,:/ 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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