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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.           ^\. ..^«\£####
#####£\«^. ...^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^... .^«\£#####
####£\«^..                                          ..^«\£####
###£\«^... ...^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^... ...^«\£###
##£\«^.... .^\ 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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