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###¤$*:»,, ,,»:*$¤###
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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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###¤$*:»,, ,,»:*$¤###
###¤$*:»,, ,,»:*$¤###