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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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