##@#@†/»,¨ ¨,»/†@#@##
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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. ,/¨ ¨,»»»»†##@
@@†///,,¨¨ ¨¨¨,,,////////////////////////////,,,¨¨¨ ¨¨,,///†@@
@@††/,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,/††@@
@@#††//»,¨ ¨¨¨,,,////////////////////////////,,,¨¨¨ ¨,»//††#@@
@@††/,¨¨¨¨ ¨,/ 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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#@@/,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,/@@#