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¤,¤,¤,,,¤,                                          ¤¤,¤¤¤¤,,,
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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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,¤,¤,¤¤,¤¤                                          ,,,,¤¤¤,,¤
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