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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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¨¨:«=$*#¶# #¶#*$=«:¨¨
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