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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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