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£$$%~,,,,, ,^/            THE  SPIRE            ~/, ,,,,,~%$$£
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££$/~^,,,, /~^ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    /^~ ,,,,^~/$££
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##££$%/~^, ^/~  ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ^~/ ,^~/%$££##
##££$%/~^, ^~/ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~^/ ,^~/%$££##
££%////~^, ~^/      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.            ^~/ ,,,^~/%£££
###££$%/~, ^~/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^/~ ,~/%$££###
£%/^,,,,,, ^/~ 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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##££$%/~^, ,^/ IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS /~^ ,^~/%$££##
##££$%/~^, ~/^ TOPPLED AND  EATEN  BY MACHINES. /^~ ,^~/%$££##
##££$%/~^, /~^ AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW  IS ^/~ ,^~/%$££##
#£$%%/~~^, /^~  CONJURED IN  ITS PLACE. IT'S  A ^~/ ,^~~/%%$£#
£$/////~^, ^/~ TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER  THAN ~^/ ,^~/////$£
###££$%~^, ^~/  US,  AND  WE  LET  IT  BE.  OUR ~/^ ,^~%$££###
##££$%/~^, ~^/ JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET.  /~^ ,^~/%$££##
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###££%/~^, /~^ BUT  THEN WE  ARE  BETRAYED. THE ^/~ ,^~/%££###
£££$%/^^^, /^~ NEW TOWER EATS US.  OTHERS  ARE  ^~/ ,^^^/%$£££
££%%//~~^, ^/~ SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE ~^/ ,^~~//%%££
£%//^^,,,, ^~/ MANIFESTED  OVERNIGHT,  ONLY TO  ~/^ ,,,,^^//%£
###££$%~^, ~^/  DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING  FOG.  /~^ ,^~%$££###
###££$%/~^ ~/^ FOR A  WHILE  ITS  SOME KIND  OF /^~ ^~/%$££###
##££$%/~^, /~^ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ^/~ ,^~/%$££##
##££$%/~^, /^~ OUTSIDE, AND WE  GET BEATEN UP A ^~/ ,^~/%$££##
##££$%/~^, ^/~  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  ~^/ ,^~/%$££##
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##££$%/~^, ~^/  IIRC  IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED  BY  /~^ ,^~/%$££##
##££$%/~^, ~/^ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES /^~ ,^~/%$££##
##££$%/~^, /~^ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY  EIGHT ^/~ ,^~/%$££##
##££$%/~^, ,^~            CARS.....             ^~, ,^~/%$££##
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