,§§,§,§§,,                                          §,§,,§§§,§
,,§,§,,§,§                                          §,§,§,§§,§
,§§,§,§§,§                                          §,§,§,,§,§
,,§,§,,§,§                                          §,§,§,§§,§
,§§,§,§§,§                                          §,§,§,,§,§
,,§,§,,§,§ ,,,,,,////////////////////////////,,,,,, §,§,§,§§,§
,§§,§,§§,§ ,,/            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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