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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. \«~ ¨¨~«\†@£¶@
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@¶£@†\«~¨¨ \~« 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. ~«\ ¨~«\†@£¶@#
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#@¶£@†\«~¨ «~\ 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. ~«\ ¨~«\†@£¶@#
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#@¶£@†\«~¨ ~\« 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. «~\ ¨¨~«\†@£¶@
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#@¶£@†\«~¨ ~\« 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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#@¶£@†\«~¨ «\~ TOPPLED AND EATEN BY MACHINES. \~« ¨~«\†@£¶@#
@¶£@†\«~¨¨ \«~ AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS ~\« ¨¨~«\†@£¶@
#@¶£@†\«~¨ \~« CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A ~«\ ¨~«\†@£¶@#
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#@¶£@†\«~¨ ~«\ US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR «\~ ¨~«\†@£¶@#
@¶£@†\«~¨¨ «~\ JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. \«~ ¨¨~«\†@£¶@
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#@¶£@†\«~¨ \~« NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE ~«\ ¨~«\†@£¶@#
@¶£@†\«~¨¨ ~\« SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE «~\ ¨¨~«\†@£¶@
#@¶£@†\«~¨ ~«\ MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO «\~ ¨~«\†@£¶@#
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#@¶£@†\«~¨ \~« OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A ~«\ ¨~«\†@£¶@#
@¶£@†\«~¨¨ ~\« FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. «~\ ¨¨~«\†@£¶@
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#@¶£@†\«~¨ «\~ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES \~« ¨~«\†@£¶@#
@¶£@†\«~¨¨ \«~ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ~\« ¨¨~«\†@£¶@
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