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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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