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¨^-;%%@#@# #@#@%%;-^¨
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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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