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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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