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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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