##@§*%:«,. .,«:%*§@##
##@§*%:«,. .,«:%*§@##
@*:,...... ......,:*@
#@§%%««... ...««%%§@#
##@§*%:«,. .,«:%*§@##
##@§*%:«,. ...,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,... .,«:%*§@##
##@§*%:«,. .,: 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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