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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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