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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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