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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. :*, ,,,,,,,,,:
~:,,,,,,,, ,,,:::****************************:::,,, ,,,,,,,,:~
*~:,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,:~*
=*~:,,,,,, ,,,:::****************************:::,,, ,,,,,,:~*=
$=*~:,,,,, ,:* in twenty fourteen, the tower is *~: ,,,,,:~*=$
&$=*~:,,,, ~*: toppled and eaten by machines. *:~ ,,,,:~*=$&
#&$=*~:,,, *~: after a while, something new is :*~ ,,,:~*=$
##&$=*~:,, *:~ conjured in its place. it's a :~* ,,:~*=$#
###&$=*~:, :*~ tiny maw at first, shorter than ~:* ,:~*=$##
##&$=*~:,, :~* us, and we let it be. our ~*: ,,:~*=$#
#&$=*~:,,, ~:* journeys still end at its feet. *~: ,,,:~*=$
&$=*~:,,,, ~*:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*:~ ,,,,:~*=$&
$=*~:,,,,, *~: but then we are betrayed. the :*~ ,,,,,:~*=$
=*~:,,,,,, *:~ 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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*~:,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,:~*
=*~:,,,,,, ,,,,,,:~*=
$=*~:,,,,, ,,,,,:~*=$
&$=*~:,,,, ,,,,:~*=$&