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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. «^\ ¨^«\=%&¶¶@
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##@¶&=\«^¨ «^\ iirc it's currently owned by \«^ ¨^«\=&¶@##
##@¶%=\«^¨ «\^ some energy drink baron who uses \^« ¨^«\=%¶@##
@&%%\«««^¨ \«^ it to hold all his fourty eight ^\« ¨^«««\%%&@
##¶&%=\«^¨ ¨^« cars..... ^«¨ ¨^«\=%&¶##
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