«:........                                          ........:«
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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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