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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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