£%\=~..... .....~=\%£
%\=~...... ......~=\%
\=~....... .......~=\
=~........ ........~=
~......... .........~
.......... ...~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~... ..........
.......... .~\ 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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