..~/^&¤### ###¤&^/~..
...~/^&¤## ##¤&^/~...
....~/^&¤# #¤&^/~....
...~/^&¤## ##¤&^/~...
..~/^&¤### ###¤&^/~..
...~/^&¤## ......////////////////////////////...... ##¤&^/~...
....~/^&¤# ../ 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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..~/^&¤### ###¤&^/~..