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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..... .~, ,,,,.~^%§£
§%^~.,,,,, ,,,...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...,,, ,,,,,.~^%§
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