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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 «^: @#=^^^«...
.:«^=$#¶@# «^: for its eyes. the smaller spires «:^ #@¶#$=^«:.
.....«=$¶@ «:^ for radiating consciousness :«^ @¶$=«.....
.:«^=$#¶@# .«^ invitations. :^. #@¶#$=^«:.
.....:^=## ...:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::... ##=^:.....
.:«^=$#¶@# #@¶#$=^«:.
..::«=$##¶ ...:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::... ¶##$=«::..
.:«^=$#¶@# .:^ in twenty fourteen, the tower is ^«: #@¶#$=^«:.
.:«^=$###@ «^: toppled and eaten by machines. ^:« @###$=^«:.
.....:^=#¶ ^«: 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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