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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. -:: ##@£%=:-:¨
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¨:-:=%£@## :-: 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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