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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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