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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. ~«. &..&.&.&..
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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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