....~*=@¶@ @¶@=*~....
...~*=@¶@# #@¶@=*~...
..~*=@¶@## ##@¶@=*~..
...~*=@¶@# #@¶@=*~...
....~*=@¶@ @¶@=*~....
.....~*=@¶ ......****************************...... ¶@=*~.....
......~*=@ ..* 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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