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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..... ^«¨ @#&$^^«^¨¨
¨^«^^$@# ¨¨¨^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^¨¨¨ #@#&$^^«^¨
¨¨^«^^$@ @#&$^^«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«^^$ #&$^^«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«^^$& &$^^«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^«^^$ $^^«^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^«^^ ^^«^¨¨¨¨¨¨