,,,##,,,,# ,###,,,##,
,,,#,#,,,# ,#,,#,,#,#
#,,####,,# ,##,##,###
,#,#,,,#,# ,#,##,##,,
,####,,### ####,##,#,
,#,,,#,#,, ,,,^^^****************************^^^,,, #,,,##,###
###,,####, ,^* 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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