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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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