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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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