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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.           .^, #@##£*^«.,
,.«^*£##@# ,,,...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...,,, #@##£*^«.,
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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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