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####¤£=«,. .,= the spire «=. .,«=£¤####
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¤§=«,..... =«, 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. ,«. .,«=§£####
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###¤£§=«,. .«= 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. ,=. .,«=§£¤###
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###¤£§=«,. .,= 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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