§....§..§. ....§§§...
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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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