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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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