,:«\%£#### ####£%\«:,
,,:«\%£### ###£%\«:,,
,,,:«\%£## ##£%\«:,,,
,,,,:«\%£# #£%\«:,,,,
,,,:«\%£## ##£%\«:,,,
,,:«\%£### ,,,:::\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\:::,,, ###£%\«:,,
,:«\%£#### ,:\ 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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,,,:«\%£## ##£%\«:,,,