,###,,,,,#                                          ,,,,,,,,,,
,,#,,###,,                                          ##########
,,,,,,#,,#                                          #########,
#####,,,,,                                          ########,,
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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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