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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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