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@,,@@@,@,@ @,@,,,@,@,
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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..... ~«, @,@,@,@,@,
@,@,,@,@,@ ,,,~~~****************************~~~,,, @,@,@,@,@,
@,@,@@,@,@ @,@,@,@,@,
@,@,,@,@,@ @,@,@,@,@,
@,@,@@,@,@ @,@,@,@,@,
@,@,,@,@,@ @,@,@,@,@,
@,@,@@,@,@ @,@,@,@,@,