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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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