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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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