¨,«=†$$$## ##$$$†=«,¨
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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 ,«= #£†«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,««==†$## ¨«= invitations. ,=¨ ##$†==««,¨
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¨,«=††$£## ##£$††=«,¨
¨¨¨¨,,=††£ ¨¨¨,,,============================,,,¨¨¨ £††=,,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,««=††£ ¨,= 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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