##@&¤†*«-. .-«*†¤&@##
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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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