&&,,,&,&&& &,&,&&,,,&
,,&,,&&&,, ,&&&&,&,,&
&,&&,&,,&, &&,,,&&&,&
,&&,&&&,&& ,,&,,&,,&&
&&,&&,,&&, ,,&&,&&,&,
&,&&,&,&,& ,,,,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,,,, &,&,&&,&&&
,&&,&&&&&& ,,: 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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,,,,,&&,&, &&&,,&,,,&