$*^~^.....                                          .....^~^*$
*^~^......                                          ......^~^*
^~^.......                                          .......^~^
~^........                                          ........^~
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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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