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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. ,=. &.&.&.&.&.
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&.&.&.&..& .,= 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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