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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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